Five men from Co Mayo have been jailed for breaching court orders stopping them protesting against a proposed Shell pipeline going through their land.
The five - four landowners and a supporter living in the area - had been served with notices of the proceedings, after Shell was granted a temporary injunction last week preventing named protesters from obstructing access to its compound at Rossport, Co Mayo.
Philip McGrath, Willie Corduff, Vincent McGrath, James Brendan Philbin and Michael O'Seighin were taken to the Bridewell Garda Station after today's High Court decision by Mr Justice MacMenamin
A number of other local people are also facing imprisonment when proceedings alleging breach of the same order, granted on April 4th last, come before the court on Friday.
The protesters say Shell does not have ministerial permission to carry out the works, that an independent safety assessment has not been carried out and that the pipeline would present a safety threat.
In a statement this afternoon, Shell said the jailing was "most regrettable" but that the men had "continually obstructed Shell E&P Ireland (SEPIL) from carrying out preparatory work on the Corrib onshore pipeline at Rossport, Co Mayo".
"While today’s developments are most unfortunate, SEPIL has undertaken numerous efforts to meet with and reach agreement with this small number of landowners for access arrangements, however, the landowners in question have been unwilling to meet with us."
The group has already tried unsuccessful legal action to halt the Corrib gas pipeline route, which comes within 70 metres of residences.
However, the Government has come under immediate pressure from the opposition to address the situation.
"It's scandalous, totally scandalous," Mayo TD Jerry Cowley said of the imprisonment of the five men, which he described as ‘martial law'.
"They have been criminalised because they are afraid to live beside this pipeline", he added. "I'm calling on the minister Noel Dempsey to intervene at this stage and address the issue."
Dr Cowley said he wanted to see Shell establish an off-shore platform to process the gas and not run the high-pressure pipeline through the county. He said he had raised the issue today in the Dail and would be raising it again tomorrow.
Labour's Energy spokesman Tommy Broughan described the outcome as a "disturbing development that must be brought to an end as quickly as possible for the sake of these five men and their families."
"Minister (for Communications, Marine And Natural Resources) Noel Dempsey must now intervene and seek agreement on the appointment of an independent and mutually respected arbitrator who can resolve this dispute to the satisfaction of all parties and avoid any similar scenarios where protestors are imprisoned as witnessed today."
Green Party Energy spokesman Eamon Ryan, said: "These local people have simply been asking the Minister and Shell to show for certain that a high pressured gas pipeline through their lands is actually safe.
"Rather than pursuing the legal course, which has resulted in the imprisonment of these people, we are asking Shell and the Government to do whatever they can to provide for their immediate release and to respond to the valid concerns that the residents have raised."
"In two years of investigating this development I have yet to see reassurance that such a high pressured pipeline for untreated gas will not be endangered by bog movement in the area," concluded Mr Ryan.
Supporters of the five men will be holding a protest outside Mountjoy Prison tonight against their imprisonment.