The Pipe: One Set of Laws for the People of Rossport, Another for Shell Oil
A person might want to think twice before suggesting to a resident of Rossport, Ireland that “corporations are people“. For them, the struggle with Shell Oil proves there is one set of laws for the residents of this tiny fishing and farming community and another for the global corporation intent on accessing the resources along the coast of Rossport, trampling the land, the sea, and the very heart of this quiet town.
It is a modern-day telling of David and Goliath, but without the romanticized ending. The story of Rossport, Ireland is a stark example of the growing conflict that cuts through society, tears communities apart, and sets people’s lives asunder.
The award-winning documentary The Pipe tells the story of how the small Rossport community takes on the might of Shell Oil and the Irish State. The discovery of gas off this remote coastal village has led to 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 world’s most powerful oil companies.
The film is now available on demand via FilmBuff. Watch the trailer below.
