Gardai dragged away protesting residents in Mullaghmore, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, early yesterday morning when around 25 people staged a sit-down protest to try to prevent Eircell working on antennae on an existing ESB mast. The incident occurred when two workmen were spotted on the ESB mast at 7.20 a.m. by a member of the Mullaghmore Concerned Residents' Group.
Residents went to the gates of the ESB facility in an effort to stop the work, but they found the gate locked, with at least six men, believed to be Eircell employees, working inside. Also present was a force of up to 20 gardai, who had been drafted in from Sligo to police the operation.
The residents, who have been protesting against work on the mast by Eircell since November 13th, 1997, staged a sit-down protest at the front gate of the facility and refused to move until they could speak to someone in charge. They were met with silence in this regard and were later told that there was no one in charge.
After talking with the gardai, the residents then requested time for their local elected representatives to arrive to negotiate on their behalf. They were denied this request and gardai informed them they were breaking the law. They countered that they were not and the gardai then proceeded to drag men and women from the gate.
A spokesman for the Concerned Residents' Group, Mr Dan Harney, stressed that their protest was a peaceful one and only passive resistance took place. "We were physically forced by the gardai to leave the area. We feel let down by both the gardai and the Government.
A previous attempt had been made by Eircell to work on the mast on 15th October 1998, but the residents invaded the premises on that occasion.