Wicklow County Council effectively settled the dispute over its road-widening plans at the Glen of the Downs yesterday by felling virtually all the trees necessary for the scheme.
In a surprise move, council officials and contractors moved into the glen shortly after 10 a.m., closing it to traffic and felling trees at its east and west sides.
Anti-roads protesters, some of whom have camped in the glen or lived in tree houses for almost three years, were taken aback by the move, and a large contingent of gardai ensured they could only watch as tree houses, ropeways and nets came down.
The protesters had concluded that nothing would happen before Monday's High Court hearing in which some protesters were to be arraigned for contempt following their refusal to leave the glen.
The action resulted in massive traffic build-ups as cars and lorries came to a standstill.
Cutting began simultaneously at the north-eastern and south-western sides of the glen, leaving about six protesters at the central camp in disarray. They frantically climbed trees and made calls on mobile phones to mobilise support.
However, the tree-fellers in the southern end of the glen had a largely free run, and Supt Philip Moynihan was able to open the road between the trees falling. By 12.30 p.m. the road was open to traffic, with only occasional holdups.
At the north-eastern end, protesters had climbed into laurel and ash trees, insisting that they were not breaking the court injunction and claiming that these trees were outside the "take" of the main road.
As in previous attempts to cut trees, the exchanges between gardai, the tree-fellers and the protesters were largely civil. Declan, a protester, had a conversation with the council's Mr Brian Grennan as Gaeilge.
One of the protesters, Conchita, sat in a laurel tree for four hours before she was removed.
The area containing most tree houses and tunnels, to which much attention had been paid over the past three years, remained largely untouched.
"It didn't come to much in the end, but we would be grateful if you would give an overview of this and say how few trees are actually gone, as you can see for yourselves," said the council's senior executive engineer, Mr Charles McNamara.
By early afternoon, the council declared itself happy that 490 of the 500 trees to be removed had gone and the road scheme could proceed. It left before a number of people, including the Green Party TD Mr Trevor Sargent arrived to survey the scene.
As evening fell, the atmosphere in the camp was like a wake.
"They may have got away with their cutting but it is in 15 years' time, when the two-storey high retaining wall is collapsing and the whole mountain on the western side of the glen is under threat, that they will realise that this was a mistake. It is not just the trees," said Conchita.
Opinion now appears to be divided on the camp's future.
The Green Party MEP Ms Patricia McKenna has also raised the issue of the stability of the western side of the glen. She said last night she had already filed a complaint with the European Commission about the treatment of the glen which was a candidate area for designation as a special area of conservation.
