Pobal Chill Chomáin
Pobal Chill Chomáin (PCC) is a pressure group based in Kilcommon parish, County Mayo, Ireland. It formed in April 2008 after breaking away from the Shell to Sea campaign. Its chairman is Vincent McGrath, one of the Rossport Five.
The group campaigned against Shell Ireland and the Irish government’s handling of the Corrib gas controversy. PCC even proposed moving the refinery site to Glinsk, an uninhabited area east of the planned pipeline route. This idea was publicly backed by Labour Party president Michael D. Higgins, the Bishop of Killala, Dr. John Fleming, and Fine Gael TD Michael Ring, but Shell and the government rejected it.
PCC took legal steps by asking the European Commission to suspend state approvals for the Mayo gas project. The OECD found PCC’s complaint admissible for possible breaches of multinational guidelines and offered mediation. After an initial forum with limited remit, Shell and the government began talks in March 2009 without preconditions.
Members of PCC say they have faced surveillance by the Garda Síochána (Irish police).
In March 2009, PCC and Shell to Sea members removed a net at Glengad beach that had been placed by Shell subcontractors to prevent sand martins from nesting. In April 2009, PCC member Willie Corduff was hospitalised after an alleged assault by security staff during a protest at Glengad. In June 2009, PCC members met with the Norwegian ambassador to discuss local concerns about the project.
The OECD hosted talks between PCC and Shell EP Ireland, focusing on a complaint that the project violated OECD guidelines for multinationals. The OECD concluded Shell showed willingness to address health and safety issues, but noted that dialogue with local stakeholders in the early stages did not meet the spirit of the guidelines. PCC criticized the outcome, arguing that an on-the-ground investigation would have allowed a proper assessment of community views.
After the magnitude-4 earthquake off the Mayo coast in June 2012, PCC urged the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to conduct an independent safety evaluation of the Corrib gas infrastructure.
PCC remains a local activist group involved in the Corrib gas controversy.
This page was last edited on 1 February 2026, at 22:15 (CET).