Shell to Sea's campaign in north Mayo had been apprehensive all week about yesterday's demonstration at Bellanaboy.
As the second of two such "action days" since Shell resumed work at the terminal, it was planned to mark the 11th anniversary of the execution of Nigerian writer Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight Ogoni activists who were opposed to Shell's presence on their lands.
Leaflets had been prepared, emphasising that the protest was to be peaceful. Yet there was a sense of foreboding after Shell to Sea's compromise solution - for a commission of inquiry into the optimum terminal site - was rejected by Minister for the Marine Noel Dempsey and Shell within hours of its presentation last Monday in Castlebar.
As supporters of the Rossport and Glengad communities travelled to Mayo on Thursday night, gardaí were erecting roadblocks on all access routes to the terminal site. It was at one such roadblock at about 7am yesterday that the first in a series of confrontations began.
At this point, some 130 gardaí had been deployed and the public order unit or "riot squad" was on standby.
School principal Maura Harrington, who had been injured at the site last month, began driving her mini-van towards a line of gardaí and blowing her horn.
Her vehicle was pushed through the Garda barriers, and two gardaí used truncheons to smash the side windows and pull her out. Her van was taken away for "technical examination".
Several small groups of demonstrators passed the checkpoints - some dispersing into the bog, followed by gardaí, and others making their way on to the main road. Among this latter group of about 40 people was Willie Corduff of the Rossport Five.
As before, many of the 200 demonstrators were local people in an age range from mid-30s to late 70s, with between 80 and 100 from Dublin, Cork, Galway and other parts. Sinn Féin Mayo councillor Gerry Murray was present with a fellow councillor and several party members - "perhaps 20 of us in all", he estimated.
Garda Supt Joe Gannon said there was an attempt to negotiate for "1½ to two hours", and several warnings by him over his megaphone, before truncheons were deployed by eight gardaí in a "slow, methodical approach". However, witnesses among the group of 40 on the main road say that they had expected to be lifted off, rather than have truncheons deployed.
Many sustained bruises on legs and arms, some were thrown into a ditch with a drop of about 10ft. Clothes and uniforms were torn and insults exchanged in the melee.
One local man was taken to hospital after a garda pushed him into a water-filled ditch and was pulled in after him. The garda was treated at the scene along with three other gardaí who also sustained injuries, according to Supt Gannon.
However, there were more serious injuries later when, several miles away, demonstrators began picketing several suppliers to the Shell terminal site. Gardaí removed protesters from an access road linking the Lennon quarries, and then proceeded to Barrett's builders' providers to break up another group there.
One local man sustained fractured ribs, while another protester had his nose broken. Two people were arrested on public order offences and later released. Supt Gannon said he was "not aware" of any injuries.
"I believe someone will be killed, given the violence by the State and the low number of trained police," Micheál Ó Seighín, one of the Rossport Five, said afterwards.
"If Bertie Ahern had an ounce of cop-on, he'd come down and see for himself what's happening," said Glenamoy farmer and Shell to Sea supporter PJ Moran. "We're not asking for anything, only for our safety."
