© 2013 Taylor & Francis. This case deals with the efforts of an Irish subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell to establish a gas refinery in a remote location in Ireland, with resistance to the project by local people and with the role of government in the dispute. In 2001, an Irish subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell was granted planning permission for a pipeline and refinery to develop the Corrib Gas fields off the North West coast of Ireland. Their plan was to refine the gas in a remote and beautiful location near the village of Rossport, in North Mayo. Ten years on, the community remains bitterly divided about the project, and the refinery is still not operational. Opposition to the project has been on a scale not previously seen in Ireland. In 2005, five local men, known nationally as the Rossport 5 served almost three months in prison for non-violent opposition to the development. Their struggle against the refinery has received international recognition, with one being awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize. In 2008, another retired schoolteacher spent ten days on hunger strike in opposition to the laying of the pipeline. In 2010, a local fisherman was imprisoned for his protests. Shell has been forced on a continuous basis to review its respective planning applications by the independent planning authority in Ireland as a result of appeals by local community groups and individuals. Equally significantly, the community of Rossport has been all but destroyed by the project. Previously, this windswept line of coast was home to a rural, close-knit community, mainly farmers and fishers, where everybody was on first-name terms and doors were rarely locked at night. Now it is populated by large numbers of police and private security guards, and a regular haunt of the security correspondents of national media outlets. Parts of the beach have been fenced off from locals. Neighbours who have been friends since childhood are no longer on speaking terms, children have been withdrawn from a local school; a bitterness has been created by the project before it even becomes operational, which may take generations to heal. The case is organised in two parts, each covering a period of some years, and culminating with some decision points on the part of the main actors. The material is laid out as follows: initially, students are provided with background information for both parts of the case, describing the place, the issues and the main actors. Phase One spans the period from 2001 to 2005, covering initial engagement with the community and culminating with the imprisonment of the Rossport 5. Phase Two runs from 2007 to early 2011, starting with the coming to power of a new government, with a Green Party minister given responsibility for the controversial development. Questions follow each section, and online resources are also supplied. A short epilogue brings students up to date, and facilitates their speculation on how the dispute will develop.