Maura Harrington
Encyclopedia
Maura Harrington was a spokesperson for the Shell to Sea
campaign, from County Mayo
, Ireland
. A retired school principal of Inver National School, Harrington was previously involved in fundraising for the British
Miners' Strike as well as campaigning against the Maastricht treaty
.
She has been jailed on a number of occasions.
On 12 October 2006 Harrington sustained head and neck injuries while Gardaí
cleared demonstrators blocking an access road used by Shell workers.
On 9 September 2008 she began a hunger strike
in protest at the arrival of the Solitaire
, an Allseas
pipe-laying ship assisting Royal Dutch Shell
's Corrib gas project. The strike took place at the gates of the Shell compound in Glengad
in Erris
, in her car. It ended after the ship left Ireland for repairs.
She appeared in Belmullet
District Court
on 8 October 2008 accused of a public order offence related to her "lunging" towards President
Mary McAleese
at the official opening of a civic centre in Belmullet in April 2007. In March 2009, she was found guilty of this charge. She was also found guilty of assaulting a Garda during a fracas which saw several protesters injured. For this, she was given a sentence of 28 days
imprisonment, fined and bound to keep the peace for 12 months, though she opted not to pay the fine or sign the bond. The judge in the case, Mary Devins, wife of Jimmy Devins
, TD
, also directed Harrington to receive a psychiatric assessment due to what she described as her "bizarre" behaviour. The order has received criticism, with Senator David Norris comparing the decision to the tactics used in Stalinist
dictatorship
s in Eastern Europe
where political dissident
s are portrayed as mentally ill. Harrington denied both charges, and did not give evidence in protest after Judge Devins refused to allow video evidence of the incident of the assault to be shown. She served her sentence in Dublin's Mountjoy Prison
. Protests and other events took place outside the prison in solidarity, as well as at the offices of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
On 6 April 2009, Harrington was due to speak at an event in London
organised by Amnesty International
to highlight the forthcoming Wiwa family lawsuits against Royal Dutch Shell
, but was unable to because of her imprisonment. In July 2009, Harrington was jailed for four months for public order offences relating to demonstrations, a sentence which was appealed.
In February 2010 Judge Raymond Groarke said Harrington was like a member of "the secret police".
Shell to Sea
Shell to Sea is a campaign based in Cill Chomáin parish, Erris, County Mayo, Ireland which opposes the proposed construction of a natural gas pipeline through the parish and the ongoing construction by Royal Dutch Shell, Statoil and Vermilion Energy Trust of a refinery at Bellanaboy intended to...
campaign, from County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. A retired school principal of Inver National School, Harrington was previously involved in fundraising for the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Miners' Strike as well as campaigning against the Maastricht treaty
Maastricht Treaty
The Maastricht Treaty was signed on 7 February 1992 by the members of the European Community in Maastricht, Netherlands. On 9–10 December 1991, the same city hosted the European Council which drafted the treaty...
.
She has been jailed on a number of occasions.
Shell to Sea campaign history
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
cleared demonstrators blocking an access road used by Shell workers.
On 9 September 2008 she began a hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
in protest at the arrival of the Solitaire
Solitaire (ship)
The Solitaire is the largest pipe-laying ship in the world at long and . When fully operational she has a crew of 420, a pipe carrying capacity of 22,000 metric tons and a pipe lay speed of more than 9 km a day....
, an Allseas
Allseas
Allseas Group SA is one of the largest offshore pipelay companies with 2000 employees. The company is privately owned by founder Edward Heerema....
pipe-laying ship assisting Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
's Corrib gas project. The strike took place at the gates of the Shell compound in Glengad
Glengad
Glengad is a small Gaeltacht village in the parish of Kilcommon in northwest County Mayo, Ireland. The townland is also known as Dooncarton , a name which comes from an Iron Age tribal chieftain called Ciortan, a character who appears in the Ulster Cycle legend of the Táin Bó Flidhais.The village...
in Erris
Erris
Erris is a barony in northwestern County Mayo in Ireland consisting of over , much of which is mountainous blanket bog. It has extensive sea coasts along its west and north boundaries. The main towns are Belmullet and Bangor Erris. The name Erris derives from the Irish 'Iar Ros' meaning 'western...
, in her car. It ended after the ship left Ireland for repairs.
She appeared in Belmullet
Belmullet
Belmullet is a coastal Gaeltacht town with a population of around 2,000 on the Mullet Peninsula in the barony of Erris, County Mayo, Ireland. Its name means the "mouth of the mullet"...
District Court
District Court (Ireland)
The District Court is the main court of summary jurisdiction in Ireland. It has responsibility for hearing minor criminal matters, small civil claims, liquor licensing, and certain family law applications...
on 8 October 2008 accused of a public order offence related to her "lunging" towards President
President of Ireland
The President of Ireland is the head of state of Ireland. The President is usually directly elected by the people for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute...
Mary McAleese
Mary McAleese
Mary Patricia McAleese served as the eighth President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. She was the second female president and was first elected in 1997 succeeding Mary Robinson, making McAleese the world's first woman to succeed another as president. She was re-elected unopposed for a second term in...
at the official opening of a civic centre in Belmullet in April 2007. In March 2009, she was found guilty of this charge. She was also found guilty of assaulting a Garda during a fracas which saw several protesters injured. For this, she was given a sentence of 28 days
imprisonment, fined and bound to keep the peace for 12 months, though she opted not to pay the fine or sign the bond. The judge in the case, Mary Devins, wife of Jimmy Devins
Jimmy Devins
James "Jimmy" Devins is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician and medical doctor. He served as a Teachta Dála from 2002 to 2011....
, TD
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
, also directed Harrington to receive a psychiatric assessment due to what she described as her "bizarre" behaviour. The order has received criticism, with Senator David Norris comparing the decision to the tactics used in Stalinist
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
dictatorship
Dictatorship
A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...
s in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
where political dissident
Dissident
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
s are portrayed as mentally ill. Harrington denied both charges, and did not give evidence in protest after Judge Devins refused to allow video evidence of the incident of the assault to be shown. She served her sentence in Dublin's Mountjoy Prison
Dóchas Centre
The Dóchas Centre is a closed, medium security prison for females aged 18 years and over located in Mountjoy Prison in Dublin. It is also the committal prison for females committed on remand or sentenced from all Courts outside the Munster area of Ireland.Dóchas is one of two women's prisons in...
. Protests and other events took place outside the prison in solidarity, as well as at the offices of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
On 6 April 2009, Harrington was due to speak at an event in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
organised by Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
to highlight the forthcoming Wiwa family lawsuits against Royal Dutch Shell
Wiwa family lawsuits against Royal Dutch Shell
The Wiwa family lawsuits against Royal Dutch Shell are three separate lawsuits brought by the family of Ken Saro-Wiwa against Royal Dutch Shell, its subsidiary Shell Nigeria and the subsidiary's CEO Brian Anderson, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York under the...
, but was unable to because of her imprisonment. In July 2009, Harrington was jailed for four months for public order offences relating to demonstrations, a sentence which was appealed.