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LAST UPDATE | 11 Apr
A NUMBER OF fuel trucks left the Whitegate oil refinery in Co Cork after gardaí succeeded in breaking the four-day blockade.
The fuel trucks entered the facility under garda escort after gardaí asked protestors for the keys to their vehicles so they could be moved without the use of the Defence Forces heavy-lift vehicle, which arrived at the site earlier this afternoon.
A gap was made to allow for the fuel trucks to enter the refinery to fill up.
It’s a deescalation after an earlier standoff that saw pepper spray used on protestors at the oil refinery. The Defence Forces’ heavy-lift vehicle arrived at the site with a number of soldiers from the Transport Corps but has not been used.
CEO of Fuels for Ireland Kevin McPartlan told The Journal that gardaí have said there may be up to 20 trucks filling up at the refinery and heading out to distribute the fuel today – but this is in comparison to the usual 200 trucks that do so under normal circumstances.
“It’s a minor improvement,” he told The Journal. “But in terms of getting back to whole stock levels everywhere – unless they fully open the facility to get back to normal levels in Whitegate but also in Foynes in Limerick – we’re looking about ten days away from having fully recovered from this.”
There are oil tankers en route to the refinery in Whitegate, but the issue is that the refinery does not have the storage to accept the fuel in as it has not been able to offload its existing stock, McPartlan said.
With around 600 forecourts currently dry of diesel and petrol, the minor number of trucks now departing Whitegate “won’t even begin to reduce that number”, he said, but will only slow down some forecourts from running out.
Four busloads of gardaí arrived at Whitegate shortly before 11.30am, where protestors were on day four of a blockade preventing supplies from leaving the facility.
Protestors formed a line on the road blocking gardaí.
A garda inspector, addressing those gathered with a megaphone, said gardaí respects the rights of those to protest peacefully.
A Garda Inspector gives the protestors the direction to leave and desist from blocking the road at Whitegate. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/hsGkLZcs2n
— Niall O’Connor (@NiallJournal_ie) April 11, 2026
However, he said the continued presence at Whitegate “goes beyond a peaceful protest and has in fact become a blockade of the public road and property”.
Protesters were “creating a risk to state security”, he said. The inspector told protestors to cease and desist the blockade.
Pepper spray deployed here at Whitegate. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/Plv9gRCcwp
— Niall O’Connor (@NiallJournal_ie) April 11, 2026
After the blockade was successfully broken to allow a limited number of fuel trucks access, gardaí were involved in the chase of a tractor which refused to stop.
It was driving through east Cork towards the refinery at around 2.30pm. It was eventually stopped by gardaí once it reached Whitegate.
The garda public order unit is also present at the scene and used pepper spray to clear a route through protestors who were blocking the road. Once that was done the gardaí requested the keys from protestors for tractors blocking the road.
The protestors handed over their keys and two tractors were moved.
There are now two convoys of trucks which have brought fuel to a depot in Little Island, near Cork city.
Gardaí and some protesters remain in place as the refinery continues to offload a limited amount of stock this evening.
The garda presence today follows a standoff between gardaí and protesters outside the facility yesterday. Gardaí took up positions across the roads between two junctions at either end of the entrance to the Whitegate Refinery.
Public order unit gardaí were at the site yesterday but kept their distance from protestors as garda negotiators spoke to those involved in the blockade.
The refinery is the only one in Ireland and its blockade has led to shortages of fuel at hundreds of forecourts across the country today.
The Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said the action was taken to clear Whitegate Refinery to provide fuel for emergency services such as hospitals, the ambulance service, and the fire service, as well as businesses and the general public.
“These are blockades. They are not a legitimate form of protest. They are illegal activity that is endangering our State. These blockades are also putting at risk supplies that are critical for our country.
“These blockades have put An Garda Síochána in an invidious position of having to deploy public order units in order to ensure that hospitals can function, fires can be responded to, and people can be brought to hospital.
“We never want to do this, but the blockaders have left us with no choice.
We gave the blockaders fair warning that we were moving to enforcement and they choose to ignore it and continue to hold the country to ransom,” he said.
The Commissioner said a number of arrests have been made during the operation.
“Instead, because of the illegal actions of a few, much of this valuable work to keep people safe is not taking place. We are aware that there has been intimidation of fuel tanker drivers, these are criminal offences, we will not tolerate this and we will investigate all such reports and prosecute suspects.
“Offences such as threats to kill or cause serious harm carry sentences of up to 10 years. My message is clear.
“Blockaders must immediately cease blockades of critical infrastructure and road networks or face the full rigours of the law,” he added.
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan commended the action of gardaí and the Defence Forces. He said the continuance of the blockades is “unacceptable”.
“While we all acknowledge the impact of higher fuel prices, and seek to minimise that impact, no groups are entitled in our Republic to hold our people to ransom in such a manner.
“An Garda Síochána has commenced operations to allow critical infrastructure to operate so people have access to fuel.”
It is understood that preparations are now underway in An Garda Síochána to lift the blockade on Galway port tomorrow.
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