Northern Ireland court allows Orange Order march through Catholic area

Northern Ireland’s High Court has permitted the Orange Order to march through the mainly Catholic Garvaghy Road area in Portadown, a route that has been closed to the organisation for 28 years. The decision followed the Court of Appeal’s reversal of a temporary injunction that had briefly sought to prevent the parade from passing the area early on Sunday.

Ahead of the procession, large numbers of residents assembled on Garvaghy Road, with reports that some intended to block the route peacefully by linking arms. First Minister Michelle O’Neill, who is vice president of Sinn Fein, joined local opposition to the march and posted on X in support of residents’ right to protest while urging calm. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald also condemned the court ruling on X and said her party stood with the Garvaghy Road community.

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly of the Democratic Unionist Party called for people to stay away from the area and warned that threats of violence were unacceptable, adding that nobody in Northern Ireland wants disorder. The Orange Order, a Protestant organisation associated with unionism, has long sought to march along the route from Drumcree church through the Garvaghy Road area.

The Parades Commission, which adjudicates disputed marches, authorised Sunday’s procession under strict conditions: the march was limited to 35 participants, bands and accompanying supporters were barred, and the march was required to conclude by 9:30am (08:30 GMT). The Drumcree/Garvaghy Road dispute was a central and often violent flashpoint during the Troubles, with repeated attempts to march the route in the 1990s provoking large-scale protests, clashes and major security responses.