Shamrocks and Oil Slicks: A People's Uprising Against Shell Oil in County Mayo, Ireland [Hardcover]

The inspiring story of a successful struggle to preserve whats left of the natural world

County Mayo, Ireland, is spectacularly beautiful. Dolphins, whales, and seals frolic in bays, rivers teem with salmon. Into this tranquil, unspoiled region, in early 2002, came Shell Oil, announcing plans to build a gas refinery. Shell promised wonderful things: new jobs, improved roads, money for schools. Church officials called this project a godsend, while honest, hard-working families, who had lived in Mayo for generations, certainly saw no harm in the project. But when the citizens of County Mayo realized what Shell actually intended to do, they rose up.Shamrocks & Oil Slickstells the story of County Mayothe fishermen, farmers, teachers, business peoplewho, motivated by love for their environment, their community, and their country, fought one of the planets most powerful destroyers to a standstill.

Fred A. Wilcoxis a writer, teacher, veterans advocate, and peace activist. He has devoted his life to chronicling the effects of chemical warfare in Vietnam, and to exposing the governments criminality in all of its many forms. He is the author of several books, includingWaiting for an Army to Die: The Tragedy of Agent Orangeand Scorched Earth: Legacies of Chemical Warfare in Vietnam. InShamrocks and Oil Slicks, Mr. Wilcox has crafted a poignant and powerful tale of one determined communitys fight against greedy corporate polluters and their craven government enablers. This story is a critical one, as it can and should be used to inform and inspire the activism of all those waging similar fights against fossil fuel calamity throughout the world today. We all owe Fred Wilcox a gigantic thank you. He has provided us just what we need in this moment: a reminder of the power of people coming together, standing up to a powerful fossil fuel corporation, and fighting with everything they have, because what is at stakels+