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PROTESTERS AT O’CONNELL Street in Dublin’s city centre have been cleared by gardaí in a major operation overnight.
Six days after the demonstrations began, tractor and truck drivers were escorted away from the heart of the capital by hundreds of gardaí.
A video posted to official garda social media accounts before 5am this morning shows the vehicles leaving the blockade in a convoy.
A Garda Operation is ongoing on O'Connell Street to remove all illegally parked vehicles.
— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) April 12, 2026
Frontline Uniform Gardaí, Plain Clothes Gardaí & Garda Public Order Units have been deployed.
Blockading vehicles being removed under escort.
Blockaders must comply with Garda directions. pic.twitter.com/hqhN9Kualg
The Garda Public Order Unit was deployed alongside frontline uniformed gardaí and plain clothes officers ended the blockade.
“All blockades in Dublin are now cleared,” gardaí said on social media.
O’Connell Street remains temporarily closed as the operation is finalised.
A Garda Operation is ongoing on O'Connell Street to remove all illegally parked vehicles.
— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) April 12, 2026
Frontline Uniform Gardaí, Plain Clothes Gardaí and Garda Public Order Units have been deployed.
Blockaders must comply with Garda directions. pic.twitter.com/2qvGP0GzZ4
The O’Connell Street clearing has come as part of a series of garda actions to break the deadlock this weekend, with a blockade of the country’s crucial oil refinery in Whitegate, Co Cork broken by gardaí yesterday.
Around 20 fuel trucks were able to enter the oil refinery yesterday afternoon after gardaí succeeded in ending the blockade.
The fuel trucks entered the facility under garda escort after gardaí asked protesters for the keys to their vehicles so they could be moved without the use of the Defence Forces heavy-lift vehicle which was at the site.
Additionally, members of the Public Order Unit, wearing protective gear and batons, were at the scene of a protest at Galway harbour late last night.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in pouring rain while restricting access to a fuel depot by blocking the way with tractors. The protest was dispersed in the early hours.
A number of blockades affecting the M50 have also been cleared according to gardaí.
Protesters at junctions 5, 7 and 11 have all now been removed.
The crisis had intensified yesterday, with around 600 of Ireland’s 1,600 forecourts without fuel due to the blockades.
The Government will hold an unusual Cabinet meeting this afternoon in its bid to finalise a multi-million-euro fuel support package for transport and farming organisations.
The Government is aiming to finalise details of its fuel support package later today amid discussions with farming and transport groups.
Tánaiste and Finance Minister Simon Harris said it was also “very important that law and order is maintained” in the country, as he highlighted the need to protect “critical” supply chains.
“The Government is eager to work sector by sector to try and make real progress on some of the very significant challenges that people are facing,” the Fine Gael leader said.
“I expect we can make significant progress in the coming hours ahead of a Cabinet meeting tomorrow.”
In Galway, gardaí have sought to remove a blockade at the city’s port.
Protesters have been directed to leave the area as of this morning.
Yesterday, a tanker with about 6m litres of fuel has sought to land at the port since yesterday morning but has not been allowed to dock due to the port’s blockade.
The company involved with the ship, CircleK, is paying a “substantial” hourly rate for the ship to remain anchored as it waits for clearance to land.
The protesters in Galway have blocked the emergency access and exit from the terminal.
A blockade of the Jack Lynch Tunnel in Cork was cleared by gardaí late last night.
Last night saw protesters with tractors block the eastbound road to Dublin of the tunnel outside Cork city, before members of the Public Order Unit arrived at around 10pm to remove the demonstrators.
The road reopened at around midnight according to gardaí.
With reporting by Jane Matthews and Niall O’Connor
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