‘O’Connell street is just like a carpark’ - local haulier

The owner of Castlekeeran Transport, Michael Farrelly, decided to join today’s fuel protest as he felt they “needed to take measures to stay in business”.

“The cost of fuel is just going to break us, we can’t sustain it, we can’t operate with it and we just have to try and do something. There’s no point in waiting until it’s too late, and at this stage it’s very near too late.”

Based in Carnaross in Meath, Michael has eight lorries on the road and is also the owner of Killian’s Lodge Hotel in Mullagh, Co Cavan.

“I’m on the middle of O’Connell Street, it’s an amazing sight, there’s trucks, buses, tractors on both sides of the street. It’s packed to capacity.”

“It’s complete gridlock. We are completely stopped here in the middle of O’Connell Street and we’re not going anywhere for a while,” he described.

“O’Connell street is just like a carpark. The only thing that’s moving at the moment is the Luas.”

Michael departed Kells at 6:30am yesterday morning and travelled to Dublin at a “slow pace”.

“Coming in the Navan Road, it was unbelievable to see people out on houses waving, clapping and supporting us. It’s unbelievable the positivity that’s coming from it.

“Everything is creeping up and people just can’t do it,” he said.

The increase in the price of fuel is having a “crazy” impact on his own business, which burns through around 300 litres of fuel per day in each vehicle.

“The running costs per day are just gone through the roof and we can pass it on but, at some point, it’s going to put the customers out of business and, if the customers go out of business, we’re going to go out of business. It has a knock-on effect.”