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Police Clear Dublin Blockades as Ireland Reopens Refinery and Moves to End Fuel Crisis

Cabinet meets today to consider a temporary relief package for fuel costs.

Tractors block O'Connell Street on the fifth day of the National Fuel Protest, in Dublin, Ireland, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
Vehicles block Dublin's O'Connell Street, as part of a protest over the high cost of fuel that clogged up busy thoroughfares and motorways across Ireland for a second successive day, in Dublin, Ireland April 8, 2026. Conor Humphries/REUTERS/File Photo
A tractor blocks Dublin's O'Connell Street, as part of a protest over the high cost of fuel that clogged up busy thoroughfares and motorways across Ireland for a second successive day, in Dublin, Ireland April 8, 2026. Conor Humphries/REUTERS
Tractors block O'Connell Street on the fifth day of the National Fuel Protest, in Dublin, Ireland, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Overview

  • Gardaí cleared tractors and trucks from Dublin’s O’Connell Street overnight Sunday in a large public order operation after five days of gridlock.
  • At Whitegate in County Cork, the country’s only oil refinery, police on Saturday used pepper spray to disperse a blockade and escorted tankers back in to restart fuel movements.
  • In Galway, officers with Defence Forces support broke a makeshift barrier at the docks on Sunday as they worked to reopen access to a key fuel depot.
  • The government plans to sign off today on a substantial support package, including a temporary transport support scheme with direct payments, after talks with recognized industry groups.
  • Hundreds of forecourts remain without fuel, with about 600 of 1,500 stations dry and industry warning recovery could take around 10 days even with blockades lifted.