‘We will be back’: Portadown lodge calls on Sinn Féin to engage on Drumcree parade

An application from Portadown Orange District LOL No 1 to finish their 1998 walk along the road was turned down by the Parades Commission on Thursday.

The lodge had proposed to complete their controversial Drumcree parade during Sunday’s All-Ireland senior football final between Armagh and Galway.

The District has unsuccessfully applied for more than a quarter of a century to complete the 1998 walk along the traditional route, but said in a statement on Monday that a fresh decision should be made on “up to date facts”.

The Commission ruled the proposed route would have “an adverse effect on community relations and a potential for public disorder”.

A number of conditions have been placed on the proposed parade, including a prohibition on entering the “entire length” of the Garvaghy Road.

Following the rejection, the lodge have now called on Sinn Féin to engage with them to try and provide a “satisfactory conclusion” to the long-running saga.

"We are not surprised that the Parades Commission, along with PSNI, have again prevented us from completing this parade,” said a spokesperson.

"We note Cllr (Catherine) Nelson’s comments that the residents of the Garvaghy Road have worked with all sides of the community, but would question why have they not spoken to representatives of Portadown District?

"We would call on Cllr Nelson and the residents to come and speak with us so that we can bring this dispute to a satisfactory conclusion for all the communities in the town and not just one side.

"We recall the comments made by the First Minster on taking her post in Stormont, that she would be a First Minster for all and respect all cultures and traditions in Northern Ireland.

"Maybe the rest of her party didn’t get that memo.

"This Sunday at 1pm we will meet outside Drumcree Parish Church, as we have done for the last 26 years, and parade to the bridge to complete our 1998 parade.

"We will be back each and every Sunday until this parade is completed.”

Both the lodge and Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart have requested a meeting with NI Secretary of State Hilary Benn over the issue.

Ms Lockhart said the lodge’s bid was a “genuine attempt” at minimising disruption.

"For many years now, Portadown District has been open to a process of engagement to find a compromise solution to this long-running dispute,” she said.

"Yet such dialogue has been rejected by those purporting to represent local residents, and today we see that this obstinacy has been rewarded by the Parades Commission.

"The only conclusion that can be drawn from today's determination by the Parades Commission is that neither the Commission nor the local community on Garvaghy Road have any intention of finding a solution.”

Sinn Féin councillor Paul Duffy said the Commission had made the “right decision”.

“This most recent application was a stunt, it was arrogant, insulting and derogatory and designed to increase tensions and cause division,” he said.

"The people of the Garvaghy Road have worked to foster stronger and better cross-community relations with our neighbours and have no desire to return to the divisions of the past.”

In their published determination, the PC said the lodge had expressed a frustration with the Commission's position on the march.

"They believe they are continually being punished by the parade not being allowed to be concluded,” said the Commission.

"This creates an impasse whereby residents have what they want and therefore do not need to engage.

"For them, this allows the problem to continue without resolution, a problem which they are adamant continues to exist.”

Representations from the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition (GRRC) said any facilitation of the parade would cause “issues, anxieties and fears which the residents consider should remain in the past”.

"The residents stress that nationalists in Portadown have declared their continued willingness to accept an alternative, less contentious route along Corcrain/Dungannon Road,” said the Commission Report.

The report also said many residents in the area initially thought the notification was a “hoax” and felt any parade would disrupt events being held to mark Armagh’s All-Ireland final appearance.

"This would lead to many hours of disruption to the lives of local residents and have a negative effect on a number of events planned in the area to coincide with the timing of the final,” said the report.

The Commission concluded there was no evidence that holding the parade during the All-Ireland final “materially changes” its decision.

Referring to the lodge’s “demographic changes” argument, it added that the most recent Census showed a “significant” percentage of the area’s population identified as “Irish only” as their identity.

The report concluded by again advocating dialogue between the two sides to achieve an accommodation that “reflects the needs of the local communities”.

News Catch Up: Friday 26 July