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September 2012

Providence reignites Irish oil fever

By: 
Jamie Smith - Financial Times

It is almost 30 years since Atlantic Resources, an exploration company set up by Sir Anthony O’Reilly, sparked an oil rush in Ireland when its US partner Gulf Oil announced it had discovered “black gold” in the Celtic Sea.

In 1983, during a deep recession, newspapers reported how people were selling the family silver to take a punt on oil shares.

A year later, further testing showed the discovery was not commercial, dashing shareholder and government hopes of cashing in on big oil and shaking confidence in Irish exploration.

Posted Date: 
9 September 2012

Technology and high oil prices fuel rush to Ireland

By: 
Jamie Smith - Financial Times

With just four gas discoveries in 40 years of exploration, Ireland, at first glance, does not appear an attractive exploration prospect.

But new deepwater drilling technologies and high oil prices are increasing interest in Irish waters that remain largely unexplored.

Posted Date: 
9 September 2012

Things continue to go wrong for Shell

By: 
Eoin O Leidhin - Letter in Mayo News

Dear Sir

I wish to respond to Fr Kevin Hegarty's article on Corrib (The Mayo News, August 14), about the Shell truck which got stuck in Glenamoy, while attempting to deliver parts of their tunnel boring machine. Fr Hegarty state "it was embarrassing for Shell in that it gave an opportunity to those among the protestors who have majored in the practice of ridicule to display their sad skills".

Posted Date: 
8 September 2012

Paul Murphy MEP to launch report revealing total estimates for Irish oil/gas fields

NEW RESEARCH REVEALS STAGGERING TOTAL OF OIL COMPANIES’ ESTIMATES FOR IRISH RESERVES

-- Paul Murphy MEP to launch groundbreaking report on Irish oil and gas --

What: 'Liquid Assets' - a definitive guide to Ireland’s oil and gas resources

Who: Paul Murphy MEP to launch

Where: Buswell's Hotel, Kildare St, Dublin

When: Monday, 10th September, 2012

Time: 11a.m. 

Groundbreaking research to be published in a report on Monday reveals the duplicity of the oil industry. Oil companies claim Ireland’s offshore is ‘unproven’, with almost no exploration taking place and with little or no chance of success. On this basis, they insist Minister Rabbitte must continue issuing licences on the extremely ‘attractive’ terms introduced by Ray Burke 20 years ago. 

Providence’s recent announcement that the Barryroe field contains up to 1.6 billion barrels of oil provides a glimpse of the true picture. The big question is: what is the total of all the geological estimates issued by exploration companies for their licensed areas in Irish territory? 

The answer is a staggering figure, the result of months of painstaking research by campaigners, who trawled through figures issued by oil exploration companies. The figure will be revealed at Monday’s press launch of ‘Liquid Assets’, a definitive guide to the issues around Ireland’s hydrocarbon resources and how the State manages them. 

Taxing question of what we should do with our own oil discoveries

By: 
Matt Cooper - Irish Examiner

THE country’s main domestic gas provider is being allowed to put up its prices by 8.5%, following on a 20% price increase over the last year.

Posted Date: 
7 September 2012

Is Ireland really a Republic?

By: 
Tonight

Fintan O'Toole hosts Tonight with Vincent Brown and asks: Is Ireland really a Republic? Has it ever been? Do we even know what a republic is?   

http://www.tv3.ie/3player/show/41/52569/1/Tonight-with-Vincent-Browne

 

Poet Theo Dorgan raises the giveaway of the Corrib Gas to Shell after 17:30 mintues into the show.

Posted Date: 
7 September 2012

Wind Turbine building at Rossport Solidarity Camp

By: 
C - RSC - Indymedia

From the 10th to 16th of August, Rossport Solidarity Camp hosted it's 3rd wind turbine building course. You can read a report of the first one here: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/95731. As the 3 previous turbines that were built are still going strong (and powering both the camp and camp house), this year it was decided to go for something bigger and more challenging.

Posted Date: 
5 September 2012

8.5% increase in Bord Gáis gas prices approved

By: 
RTE

[Shell to Sea]  The Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) in 2011 admitted that energy price rises would be ‘very likely’ if the gas from the Corrib field comes ashore. More details here

Posted Date: 
4 September 2012

Corrib Gas Archaeology: Paper given at Contemporary and Historical Archaeology Group conference, Sheffied 2007.

The Cork poet Theo Dorgan  recently remarked that he was,

“born into a Republic, and now finds he lives in an economy.”

Where Dorgan was once a citizen of the Republic, he now finds himself reduced to the status of producer/consumer in an economy.

The Elephant and the Mouse

By: 
Joe Murray - Mayo News

It would appear that Fr Kevin Hegarty occupies the same delusional world as Christy Mahon, whom he quotes in his Second Reading column in the Mayo News of August 14, if he believes that coverage of the Corrib Gas conflict is unbalanced in favour of the community rather than Shell and its apologists. The evidence of Shell’s well-oiled and well-balanced propaganda machine – of which he is an enthusiastic cog- spinning stories aimed at undermining the courageous and legitimate opposition of the local community to this destructive project is clear for all to see.


That Fr Kevin Hegarty is happy to collude with this discredited company is extraordinary. In doing so he conveniently chooses to forget the fate of Ken Saro Wiwa and his colleagues who paid with their lives for standing up to Shell and who are appropriately memorialised at the gates of the refinery in Ballinaboy.

Posted Date: 
4 September 2012