ABSTRACT
In 2001, an Irish subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell was granted planning permission for a pipeline and refinery to develop the Corrib Gas fields off the North West coast of Ireland. Shell has been forced on a continuous basis to review its respective planning applications by the independent planning authority in Ireland as a result of appeals by local community groups and individuals. Equally significantly, the community of Rossport has been all but destroyed by the project. The material is laid out as follows: initially, students are provided with background information for both parts of the case, describing the place, the issues and the main actors. In 2005, Shell issued legal proceedings against some Rossport landowners including Willie Corduff, compelling them to cooperate with the development. The imprisonment of peaceful protestors for defending their land rights struck a chord with the public, and the men became known nationally as the Rossport 5.
