Overview
- Whitegate refinery, which police cleared Saturday using public‑order units and pepper spray, reopened to fuel trucks under Garda escort with Defence Forces heavy‑lift support on site.
- Blockades still hold at depots in Galway and Foynes and on key routes, with parts of Dublin’s M50 and O’Connell Street closed and public transport curtailed; Rosslare port operations are nearing capacity due to a nearby protest.
- About 600 of roughly 1,500–1,600 filling stations are out of fuel, and Fuels for Ireland warned the share could reach two thirds by tonight if access to terminals is not restored.
- Police declared an “exceptional event” to redeploy officers and cancel rest days, the army is assisting as needed, and the emergency coordination group urged drivers to conserve fuel while ambulance and fire services run contingency plans.
- Talks resumed with recognized farm and haulage bodies after protesters were kept out of earlier meetings, the government says a significant relief package is nearly ready but will be published only after blockades end, and the taoiseach warned Ireland risks turning oil tankers away.