Corduff returns to cavalcade

Corduff returns to cavalcade

Áine Ryan

FIANNA FÁIL’S Belmullet-based councillor, Tim Quinn, has confirmed he will propose a vote of congratulations for Willie Corduff’s recent accolade as winner of the prestigious Goldman Environment Prize at the next meeting of Mayo County Council. However, the Cathaoirleach of the County Council, Cllr Gerry Coyle told The Mayo News at the weekend that he was not aware of any plans for a Civic Reception for the Rossport Five member. Both councillors have welcomed the award for the Corduffs, which is known as the Nobel Prize for the Environment.
Mr Corduff, along with his wife Mary, is due to land at Ireland West Airport, Knock, shortly after 11am tomorrow (Wednesday) morning to a huge gathering of supporters from all over the country. It will be the final leg of a whirlwind fortnight-long journey that brought the couple to San Francisco, Washington and London, and saw the Shell to Sea campaign being covered by such disparate media outlets as the BBC, Al Jazeera, NBC and the International Herald Tribune. The Corduffs’ last high-profile interview was today (Tuesday) with the BBC’s flagship current affairs programme, Hard Talk, which has 60 million viewers worldwide.
Tomorrow, they will return home in a colourful cavalcade, due to stop at Áras an Chontae, the Michael Davitt Museum at Straide, Ballina and finally at the famous sheep-trailer at the Bellanaboy gates for, in the words of Vincent McGrath, some ‘spontaneous ceol agus craic’.
During the Corduffs’ stay in Washington they met a number of key power-brokers, including House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Barbara Boxer, Chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
She told Mr Corduff: “The environment is back as an issue in America. And the reason it’s back is because of people like you, who understand the fact that human rights include the dignity of living in a safe environment.” 
It is the first time an Irish person or campaign has won the 18-year-old award, which is worth €93,000. The award is endorsed by over 100 Heads of State and eight of its previous winners have been appointed, or elected, to national office.