*Photograph: Joe Buckley
ROAD BLOCKS have been removed from the M18 in Co Clare with protestors standing down after six days.
Free flowing traffic can now access the national primary road network as of Sunday night following the removal of the road block which has formed part of the six day protest.
Blockades across the country were removed following the announcement of a €505m package of supports on Sunday evening.
An Garda Síochána arrived at junction 11 of the M18 in Newmarket-on-Fergus on Sunday and began discussions with organisers of the protest shortly after 19:20. The organisers took a vote among their group present at the junction before deciding to remove the blockade.
Access of traffic along the slipways at junction 11 has resumed since approximately 20:10 on Sunday night.
Organisers have warned that while they have lifted the road blocks for now, they are likely to return depending on how matters proceed in the Dáil this week. Sinn Féin are set to table a no-confidence motion in the Government when the Dáil returns from its Easter break on Tuesday.
“We have taken the decision to stand down for now, reason being, we’re all scalded,” chief organiser of the Clare protest, Cathal O’Donoghue stated. “We took a vote of who was here in junction 11 and we will quench it now for a day or two and see what the Government do, we’ll see if the Government give a vote of no confidence and quench this f****** Government or what happens. If not, we’re going to come back out Wednesday morning and lock the place down, they ain’t seen nothing yet,” the founder of C&C Executive Travel added.
He said, “We’re going home deflated because the government are after slapping the Irish people across the face again, it is absolutely disgraceful, why couldn’t they have made this announcement on Friday or last week, all these riots and fighting with guards shouldn’t have happened”.
All photographs by Joe Buckley
