Directed by: Risteard O Domhnaill
Produced by: Rachel Lysaght
In a remote corner of the west of Ireland sits Broadhaven Bay. It is the perfect picture postcard, where the high cliffs of Erris Head and the Stags of Broadhaven stand sentry at the mouth of the bay against the mighty Atlantic, as if protecting the delicate golden sands of Glengad beach and the tiny village of Rossport which nestles behind the dunes.
However this peaceful tranquility belies the turmoil that lies beneath, and the unique nature of the coastline which has sustained generations of farmers and fishermen, has also delivered to Shell Oil the perfect landfall for the Corrib Gas Pipeline. In the most dramatic clash of cultures in modern Ireland, the rights of farmers over their fields, and of fishermen to their fishing grounds,
has come in direct conflict with one of the worlds most powerful oil companies. When the citizens look to their state for protection, they find that the state has put Shell’s right to lay a pipeline ahead of their own rights.
The Pipe is a story of a community tragically divided, and how they deal with a pipe that could bring economic prosperity or destruction of a way of life shared for generations.
The discovery of gas off this remote coastal village has led to the most dramatic clash of cultures in modern Ireland.
Normal policing has broken down and already 5 locals have gone to jail rather than let Shell’s pipeline cross their lands. With the imminent arrival of the world’s largest pipelaying vessel, the State stages a massive security operation to ensure the pipe is laid without interference. When all hope seems lost, events take a dramatic turn…
CRITICAL REVIEWS
Variety
"first rate"
Screen
"fascinating… provocative… stirring… O Domhnaill’s engrossing and proactive documentary couldn’t be more pertinent "
Time Out
"compelling and deeply moving"
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