Many forecourts across Waterford city and county have now reportedly run out of fuel as drivers rushed to fill up their cars yesterday, with nationwide fuel protests ongoing.
Protests have now entered into a fourth day, and with blockades still in place at Whitegate Oil Refinery in Cork, fuel depots in Limerick and Galway, and O’Connell street in Dublin. Queues formed at forecourts across Waterford and throughout the southeast from 12 noon yesterday (Thursday 9 April) with many fearing that fuel supplies will soon run dry.
It is understood that around a number of forecourts in west Waterford are currently out of fuel and some stations have imposed limits of €30 and €50 per transaction.
As of Thursday evening, long queues were still reported at Circle K on the Cork Road, Holy Cross Service Station in Butlerstown and at Applegreen Leamybrien. Holy Cross Service Station saw queues stretch back as far as the roundabout nearby, with the queue at Applegreen also stretching back on the main road. High volumes of traffic were also reported throughout Waterford city, and at Gala Service Station in Kilmeaden from Thursday evening into this morning. There were also long queues of vehicles stretching out onto the N25 at the Silverstream self-service station at the Burgery, Dungarvan last Thursday evening.
Nationwide protests around the rising fuel costs began on Tuesday 7 April, with protestors calling for further cuts to excise duty and refusing to back down until they are granted a meeting with Government Ministers. It was reported last night that Government Ministers have agreed to meet with seven representative associations involved in the action today. There has been no confirmation whether protestors will be present at the talks, but Minister Dara Calleary told media that the Government “has no issue” if protestors represent these associations at the meeting.
While Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan announced yesterday that the Defence Forces would be called in for assistance to remove protestors from critical infrastructure points, the blockades are still currently in place, and convoys are still being mounted on major routes around the country, such as the M9 and N24.
Minister Jim O’Callaghan and Minister Helen McEntee met on Thursday evening with the Deputy Commissioner of An Garda Síochána and the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces to receive an update on the response to ongoing protests affecting the country’s critical infrastructure.
Both Ministers were briefed on the measures in place to address disruption and to ensure the continued flow of essential supplies nationwide.
An Garda Síochána is leading the operational response.
The Defence Forces remain on standby to provide assistance in support of the civil authorities.
The Ministers will continue to receive regular updates as the situation evolves.
Waterford Sinn Fein TD Conor D McGuinness said “the last thing Irish soldiers want is to be ordered in to deal with the fuel protest” and that “Micheal Martin and Simon Harris need to engage with the protestors and de-escalate the situation.”
“The Dáil needs to be recalled so we can vote to bring down the cost of fuel,” Deputy McGuinness said.
Meanwhile, Waterford City and County Council’s Director of Services Gabriel Hynes confirmed to media that the Council’s roadworks programme will be affected by fuel shortages, indicating that the local authority has between a week to 10 days’ supply of fuel remaining.
Protestors in trucks, tractors and other vehicles made their way through Waterford city on Tuesday 7 April, and it is understood that they will gather again in Waterford today. Across the week, Waterford city has been largely unaffected by severe traffic delays, but today, protestors from across the surrounding areas have agreed to meet in Waterford city.
The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) have maintained that they are not associated with the protests, with President Ger Hyland stating that “we [the IRHA] reiterate that we will not be taking part in any protest actions whilst we are negotiating in good faith with the Government – contrary to reports on social media.”
Mr. Hyland confirmed in a statement to this newspaper that the IRHA are continuing to engage with the Government on a “daily basis” to achieve more support for its members within the haulage sector, and offered for the IRHA to act as an “honest broker” between protestors and the Government.
“The Irish Road Haulage Association believes that the best way to resolve this issue is through dialogue and we will continue ongoing discussions with the government to bring about further supports for our members,” Mr. Hyland concluded.
Important information for those adversely impacted by the rise in fuel and other costs
Revenue is aware that the rise in fuel and other costs may cause cash flow difficulties for certain individuals and businesses.
Revenue appreciates that this is a difficult time for those affected and confirms that it will work with taxpayers that have been adversely impacted to ensure that good compliance records can remain on track.
Collector-General, James Twohig outlined that Revenue will engage with any viable business that experiences cash flow difficulties due to the rise in fuel and other costs.
The Collector-General stated that “Rising fuel and other costs have affected businesses in a variety of ways. Revenue acknowledges that it can be a worrying time in terms of the ability to keep an otherwise good tax compliance record on track. Revenue will adopt a pragmatic approach where businesses have been adversely impacted because of rising fuel costs”.
Mr Twohig explained that: “Revenue has a strong track record in successfully agreeing flexible and appropriate payment arrangements where businesses are facing temporary cash flow difficulties, and we will work with those affected by rising fuel and other costs to take their financial circumstances and capacity to pay into account.
"I would strongly encourage affected taxpayers to take the following practical steps:
- continue to send in your tax returns on time, and
- engage early with us if you run into, or are facing, difficulty in paying your tax.
"Rather than hope that such payment difficulties will resolve in time, my advice to taxpayers adversely impacted by rising fuel and other costs is to proactively engage with Revenue to agree mutually suitable arrangements.”
Revenue’s Collector-General Division can be contacted on 01-7383663, or through MyEnquiries.
UPDATE (Friday, 10 April, 2026, 14.45):
Transport Minister condemns ongoing blockades
Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien has slammed the protesters involved in the blockades which are causing a fuel crisis around the country.
In a statement to The Munster Express Minister O’Brien said: “I strongly condemn the ongoing and reckless blockades of fuel distribution points across the country”.
“The impact these actions are having on the transport network and the delivery of vital services is deeply concerning,” said Minister O’Brien.
“These disruptive and damaging activities are hindering the movement of goods, placing livelihoods at risk, and interfering with essential services – including emergency response operations and access to medical care. Of particular concern is the growing risk to fuel availability for emergency service vehicles. If these blockades continue, they could have serious consequences for the provision of critical services nationwide,” the Minister told this newspaper.
“It is important to emphasise that Ireland’s overall fuel supply remains stable and resilient. The current challenges stem from distribution disruptions, not supply shortages. This situation can and must be resolved by ending the blockades and restoring full access for fuel delivery vehicles.”
Minister O’Brien added: “The Government will continue to engage with official representative bodies. That work will continue today”.
