The five Co Mayo men jailed for refusing to obey a High Court order in relation to the Shell Corrib gas field development were warned by a High Court judge today that their fate was in their own hands and it was up to them to purge their contempt.
Mr Justice Finnegan issued his warning when he fixed next Wednesday for the hearing of an application by solicitor Greg Casey who is seeking to have the court order discharged.
Mr Casey claims there is no ministerial consent for the laying of the Corrib gas pipeline and that Minister for Natural Resources, Noel Dempsey, confirmed this in the Dáil last week.
This has been denied by Shell, which states that what Mr Casey is saying is misleading.
Patrick Hanratty for Shell E and P Ireland said that the company does not want anyone in jail but does want to build a pipeline.
The five men, brothers Philip and Vincent McGrath, Willie Corduff, James P Philbin and Micheal O'Seighin were not in court today and remain in jail in Cloverhill.
Family friends and public representatives of the men demonstrated outside the Four Courts during today's brief hearing.
The men were jailed after obstructing the building of a gas pipeline through their land in the Rossport area, thereby refusing to obey an injunction not to do so granted to Shell.
