The whine of chainsaws broke the tranquillity of the Glen of the Downs yesterday as workers began felling trees to make way for infill and tarmac worth £18 million. About 20 protesters, who have been camping in the glen since last September, reacted by occupying trees earmarked to be cleared for the road-widening scheme.
The workers, in bright yellow jackets and hard hats, did their best to ignore the defiant environmentalists by working around them. They did not attempt to fell the trees the protesters clung to.
One local farmer, Mr Michael Kunz, placed himself repeatedly in the path of the falling trees and ignored warnings by Wicklow County Council workers as branches crashed around his head.
The ash trees on the fringes of the forest which Mr Kunz stood beneath were small, and he was wise enough to position himself where he would receive only minor injuries.
"The next thing you know there'll be a ski slope on Sugar Loaf mountain," he said. "It's just reckless planning. They don't care about Wicklow anymore, it's just seen as part of greater Dublin."
As the work continued, the protesters, who call themselves vigil-keepers, darted among the tree trunks and undergrowth from the base camp on one side of the road to the tree-top dwellings on the other, passing on news.
Some took to their tree houses, suspended on platforms in the giant ancient oaks they are trying to save. Others videoed council workers and interrogated them about the environmental impact of their actions.
Apart from two noisy outbursts by protesters, the atmosphere during the day was calm and restrained.
Mr Jeff Colhoun, a protesters' spokesman, who has lived in a tree-house on the side of the forest overlooking the road since last September, said they were committed to "non-violent direct action".
The crews of council employees and contracted workers, including tree surgeons, began arriving at the controversial section of the N11 at about 8.30 a.m.
Gardai controlled traffic through the scenic valley while workers at either end of the disputed stretch of road set about felling the small, straggly trees lining it.
Curious drivers slowed and blew their horns in support of the campaigners. Some stopped to shout words of support to those clinging precariously to branches.
At noon, the environmentalists heard through their solicitor that an injunction hearing was set for the High Court in the afternoon.
After lunch, the environmentalists positioned themselves directly in front of the trees to be felled, preventing the workers from reaching them. The workers soon abandoned their chopping efforts and began clearing the felled branches off the road and loading logs on to a lorry.
As the crews and gardai conceded defeat at around 2.30 p.m., Mr Colhoun said the protest would continue. "Hopefully the council will have to give us notice of evictions from our homes, if they want to move us," he said.