Around 800 anti-war demonstrators are staging a protest at Shannon Airport to voice their objections to the use of the airport by US military aircraft.
The protesters were joined by the former head of the UN Humanitaran programme for Iraq, Denis Halliday, as well as politicians and musicians.
In his speech, Mr Halliday said that the Taoiseach had shamed the Irish people by allowing, what he described as, US war planes to refuel at Shannon and he called on Mr Ahern to withdraw permission for refuelling.
He also dismissed any suggestion of a connection between the Iraqi regime and terrorist group al Queda.
Demonstrators expressed concern about the presence of an AWACS aircraft at Shannon - the aircraft coordinates the movement of fighter jets and has rarely, if ever, been seen at the airport.
