‘The time for monitoring and reviewing is over’ – Protesters from across Mayo gather to demand urgent action on fuel prices
A large convoy of vehicles gathered in Castlebar today as farmers, hauliers and contractors joined a nationwide protest against rising fuel costs.
Over 100 people took part in the demonstration, with approximately 60 heavy goods vehicles, tractors and vans forming a slow-moving convoy through the town.
Protesters voiced frustration at what they described as Government inaction, criticising the continued approach of ‘monitoring and reviewing’ the situation without implementing any meaningful measures.
There were talks that protests could continue until the Government implements meaningful cuts to excise duty and carbon tax, with some also expressing disappointment that the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) did not partcipate in today’s demonstrations.
The group began to gather at 8am at the Circle K petrol station on the Moneen roundabout before making their way into the town centre an hour later.
A large convoy travelled around the town before coming down Market Street and parking at Mill Lane, with drivers sounding horns as they passed, drawing waves and a lot of attention from onlookers along the streets and from shopfronts.
Protesters gathered at the Mall, where they engaged in discussions with local representatives and shared first-hand accounts of the financial pressures they are currently facing.
The convoy later continued along the N5 towards the Westport roundabout before returning again towards the town.
Over 100 people gathered in Castlebar, County Mayo, to take part in the nationwide protests against increase in fuel prices.
The protest was organised by Common Rose Mayo, which mobilised participants over the weekend after plans were first made on Friday.
Gerry Tighe from Common Rose Mayo said he was encouraged by both the turnout and the public response.
“We are very happy with the turnout, and we are very happy passing through the town here of Castlebar with the support and thumbs up we were getting from people,” he said.
Mr Tighe outlined three key demands: the permanent abolition of carbon taxes, a meaningful and significant reduction in excise duties on fuel, and action on minimum delivery quantities imposed by oil distribution companies, which he said disproportionately affect the most vulnerable in society.
“It is unacceptable, the Government hasn’t listened to us. The existing measures that have been put in place are grossly insufficient, and we’re here today to show and [to say] we can’t afford this anymore,” he added.
Local haulier Tom Denning said he attended due to concerns over excise duty and carbon taxes, and criticised the IRHA's response, saying he was “disgusted at the way” the organisation has handled itself.
“I am calling on Ger Hyland to resign, because he is not showing any leadership whatsoever, and he should be at the forefront of this here,” he said.
Mr Denning said the sectors most affected were essential to keeping the country functioning and echoed calls from others at the protest for immediate Government action.
“The farmers feed the people, the hauliers move everything in the country, and they are the two biggest people hit. Stop monitoring, stop reviewing the situation, step up to the plate and help us out,” he said.
“None of us want to be here today. Not one person. We are forced here by the Government. We are here because of their inaction. We are not being represented by our associations,
“It is time the Government took stock and did something for people on the ground,” he added.
Independent Ireland councillor Chris Maxwell, a sheep and cattle farmer himself, also attended and said farmers had reached a breaking point.
“They don’t seem to care about the ordinary person anymore. The Government have forgot about the people who put them in power. They just don’t seem to care,” he said.
“It is greed, the tax they are taking out of this. The dearer the diesel goes, the more tax they take, and they just don’t seem to care. They are making a mockery of people, in my opinion. It has to stop,
"We need action today, it is no good in a week's time because there will be too many businesses gone under,” he added.
Gerry Lofus of the Rural Ireland Organisation warned that farmers and hauliers were prepared to escalate protests if action is not taken, adding that concerns around the cost of living had been mounting even before the war began.
“The Government are not listening, they are doing nothing to keep the economy afloat, to keep people moving and keep them on the road,
“We could be facing a situation where there is no diesel or fuel, and if that happens, we will be facing a situation where there isn’t any food,” he said.
Mr Loftus said protests could extend beyond a single day and criticised what he described as the ‘Government’s attitude’ at the moment, while Leinster House is on its two-week Easter break.
“They may continue. It may not be a one-day protest because we have to get results here; there is no question about that. People are angry. There is a crisis in every sector, from health to housing, to agriculture and climate change,
“We have a hell of a lot of problems, they are not being solved, and there seems to be no inclination to solve them. There is an emergency here, and we have a Government who have gone on their holidays,
“We have a crisis in our country, we have a world crisis, and this is the attitude. It is not good enough,” he said.
All you are hearing from the government is ‘we are reviewing the situation, we are observing the situation, and we are monitoring the situation’ - The time for that is up, the time for that is long over
He called for an immediate reduction in excise duty and for carbon tax measures to be reduced or even put on pause while the war continues, with no certain end in sight.
“We are in a crisis, and the Government wants to have a 60pc tax take, and they still want to increase the carbon tax,
“It is incredible that that is the thinking. With the amount fuel has gone up, it is unaffordable for many people,” he said.
Mr Loftus gave an example of an agricultural contractor whose weekly diesel costs had risen from €2,300 to €3,900.
“He can't pass that [cost] onto the farmer, because they don’t have the money to pay him. It is a catch-22 situation,” he added.
At the Mall, protesters gathered to share first-hand accounts of the pressures they are currently facing, with some calling to “escalate the situation” and become “more like the French when they protest”.
Many present said they felt their concerns were not being listened to by the Government and expressed a determination not to stand back any longer, with a sense among the crowd that there had been a fear of “being too polite”.
Several protesters shared accounts of financial hardship in recent weeks, with some reporting costs increasing by as much as €2,000 per week compared to pre-war levels.
“All you are hearing from the government is ‘we are reviewing the situation, we are observing the situation, and we are monitoring the situation’ - The time for that is up, the time for that is long over,” one said.
People shouldn’t have to give up a day's work to get the support they need from the Government
Sinn Féin TD Rose Conway-Walsh was in attendance and said that “people shouldn’t have to give up a day's work to get the support they need from the Government”.
"I shouldn’t have to stand here, I should be in the Dáil agreeing on emergency measures to support people,” she said, as she called for the Dáil to be recalled immediately.
She outlined the pressure facing people in Mayo, adding that “yet all we have gotten from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are half measures and excuses”.
“Today’s protest in Castlebar reflects the real and growing anger among workers, families and key sectors of our local economy,” she said.
“It is part of a nationwide message to the government that people have had enough and need urgent support to heat their homes, fill their cars and put fuel in their machinery,
“Families are struggling to heat their homes, and businesses are on the brink because of soaring diesel and petrol costs. People are in crisis now, and they need support now,” she added.
Independent councillors Harry Barrett and Patsy O’Brien were also in attendance, listening to the protesters' concerns.
Cllr Barrett urged those present to contact Government TDs and councillors, saying it was time for the Government to “realise it is in a wartime economy” and that excise and carbon taxes should be cut immediately.
"You have to keep calling for that. Without the people you see around you now, this economy will grind to a halt. You are doing the right thing here today,” he said.
"Under the constitution, a ministerial signature is all-powerful; this can be changed in the morning. You have to get onto your TDs and tell them, ‘either stand with us and we’ll remember you, and if you don’t stand with us – we’ll remember you as well,” Cllr Barret said.
"People elected the Government to support them, and this is the time when people need them. We elected them to represent us, and they are not doing that,” Cllr O’Brein added.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.