10 Facts About Willie Corduff

Willie Corduff was born on 1953 and is an Irish environmental activist from the farming community of Rossport, Kilcommon, Erris.

Willie Corduff became a campaigner against Royal Dutch Shell's activities in his local area when the Corrib gas controversy began.

Willie Corduff is married to Mary and they have six children and four grandchildren.

Landowner Willie Corduff said that "allowing Shell to construct a pipeline would be the same as having a time-bomb in the vicinity".

Willie Corduff refused Shell access to his land and was jailed for 94 days in 2005 as one of the Rossport Five for defying a court order not to interfere with Shell's work.

Willie Corduff has actively campaigned with them and has been arrested on numerous occasions.

Willie Corduff was awarded the European winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2007 for his part in the protest campaign, which led to a halt of the construction of a pipeline through their land by Shell.

Willie Corduff is the first Irish recipient ever of this award which is known as the "Nobel green prize" and is awarded to six people from the six continental regions every year who have taken great personal risk in the name of environmental protection.

Jim Farrell, a director of I-RMS, stated that he and his employees had intended to remove Willie Corduff, but found him standing up, and had him taken away by ambulance when he complained of chest pains.

Willie Corduff has made a complaint, regarding an alleged assault by a Garda in April 2009, to the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission.