The People are Dancing

In the North West of Ireland they found gas in the sea
The Dail and the oilmen were jumping with glee
They'd pipe it up the estuary,and over the land
Bu the locals took control, and foiled their plan.

They wanted to refine it there too, don;t you know
At Ballinaboy, where the forest used to grow
They moved tonnes of peat, and underneath they found
Aluminium in the ground.

Shell came to build the pipeline, but the people said NO
The pressure's too high - we think it'll blow
Bog is damp and unstable, the pipes will soon rust
You're a bunch of politicians that we cannot trust.

We've been fishing for years in Broadhaven Bay
And there's dolphins and whales and salmon at play
If Shell gets their way, they'll fill it with waste
How could they defile such a beautiful place?

And at last Shell had to shell out
Too afraid to defend themselves in court
But all the millions of compensation
Won't bring back the dead of the Ogoni nation.

Then they started attacking Broadhaven Bay
Pushing the fishing boats out of their way
For defending his community, the Chief got given
Seven long months in Mountjoy prison.

But the people know what they have to lose
The way of Shell is not what they choose
They'll fulfil the Mayo prophecy
And make the last stand for liberty.

Take heed you politicians, and Shell make no mistake
The whole world is watching and the West is awake
You won't get your way with bullying and bribes
The people are dancing - dancing for their lives..


Since 2001, the people of Erris, in NW Mayo, Ireland, have been resisting a consortium of companies led by Shell, who plan to transport raw gas at high pressure from the offshore Corrib Gas Field to be processed inland at a refinery in Glengad, in NW Mayo, Ireland. Transporting large quantities of gas at such high pressure, across a residential area, is unprecedented, and poses huge risks to health and safety. It would cause irrevocable damage to an unspoilt, environmentally protected region.
Ireland has created such favourable conditions for the oil and gas companies that the project has been dubbed the 'Great Gas Giveaway'.

Local people opposing the project have suffered extreme violence and intimidation from the Garda (Irish police) as well as private security. Many have been arrested and imprisoned, including the 'Rossport Five' who refused to comply with a High Court order allowing Shell access to their land to construct the pipeline, and the 'Chief', fisherman Patrick O'Donnell, who also had his fishing boats impounded because he refused to stop working when the Solitaire arrived in Broadhaven Bay to lay the offshore section of pipeline.
During the course of the struggle many international connections have been made with other fence-line communities, especially the Ogoni in the Niger Delta.
In 2009 Shell agreed in an out of court settlement to pay £6.9 million compensation to the families of the 'Ogoni Nine' - Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others, who were hanged in 1995 because of their opposition to Shell and the Nigerian government.
The title of the song refers to Ken Saro-Wiwa's poem 'Dance the guns to silence' -
'Dance your anger and your joys, dance the guns to silence'

See www.shelltosea.com