Thirteen defiant anti-road protesters were cheered by supporters yesterday as they were led away to jail by order of the High Court.
They had refused to give undertakings not to interfere with work on Wicklow County Council's proposed dual carriageway through the Glen of the Downs.
To shouts of "Irish land for Irish people" and "Enough is enough, open your eyes, it's time to wake up", the eight men and five women were escorted by gardai from the court to the Bridewell Garda station, from where they were due to be taken to Mountjoy Prison.
They will remain there until they give the undertakings sought. The effect of the undertakings is that they would not interfere with work by the council, including tree-felling, in widening the road through the glen.
Earlier Mr Justice Barr asked the 13 individually to give the undertakings to the court. When they refused, the judge said he was left with no alternative but to direct that they be taken into custody and remain there until they did so.
The judge refused to put a stay on his order to allow an appeal to the Supreme Court. He ordered that the 13 be arrested by gardai in the court and be taken to the Bridewell Garda station nearby. There was singing and shouting as the gardai moved in.
Gardai then took the 13 through a rear door of the Four Courts and across the yard to the Bridewell, while supporters shouted and chanted.
The 13 names called out in court were: Dominic Wolf, Sophie Schule, Hugh McLaughlin, Deaglan O Moiris, Tony Baird, Christian Volkeman, Una Ni Bhroin, Lisa O'Neill, Danny Molloy, Diarmuid Moynihan, Gott Slack, Peter Jones and Mary Lorraine Murphy.
In reply to the judge, Murphy said she was not sorry about her refusal to give the undertaking. She said the undertaking was illegal and asking her to give it was illegal. She said she had permission from Duchas to be on the land.
Several of the 13 also claimed they had permission from Duchas to be on the lands owned by it which adjoin the lands owned by the council. They claimed the council was illegally seeking to restrict their access.
Mr Dermot Flanagan, for the council, said all his client was seeking was to prevent interference with its works.
Earlier Supt Philip Moynihan gave evidence that in the glen on Thursday he found one man, who was not in court yesterday, obstructing the council's work by placing himself in front of a mechanical digger. He said the number of protesters varied from 10 to 25 and they did not all congregate in a given area.
Generally they were the same people. Other people had left the glen after giving commitments to the court.
The judge said an injunction granted by the High Court last October meant the protesters should not trespass on council lands or interfere with the work. It was not being adhered to. No one was to interfere with works being carried on by the council at the Glen of the Downs.
Mr Justice Barr said that all the protesters were being asked to do was to give an undertaking to abide by the law, to stay away from the council site and not interfere with the council's work or access to or egress from the site.
"They know well what they have to do," the judge added, saying there was evidence of contempt.
"If they want to make martyrs of themselves today and be carted off to prison, I'll oblige them," he said. Court orders were not going to be treated with disdain.
One man gave an undertaking that he would abide by the court order, and the judge said he was free to go. The others refused to give the undertakings.