Orangemen issue new Drumcree talks call

The leader of Portadown's Orangemen has repeated his call for face-to-face talks to resolve the Drumcree marching issue.

District master Darryl Hewitt – when quizzed by the media at Drumcree Hill on Sunday – said he would be willing to have talks with Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition (GRRC), even though their leader Brendan McKenna is secretary of republic group Eirigi.

"We are willing to go into talks without preconditions and call on the GRRC to do the same," he added.

"But the Parades Commission has backed them in their pre-condition to mediation – that we must withdraw the former Obins Street route when we apply for our outward march to Drumcree Parish Church."

The Orangemen were barred from Obins Street in the mid-1980s and have taken the alternative route – via Northway – ever since. But they still apply for Obins Street, and the 350 on yesterday's march staged a protest at the approach to the street before proceeding to Drumcree.

But the biggest protest was reserved for the police lines after the service in Drumcree Parish Church when they were barred from entering Garvaghy Road, as has been the case since July 1998.

Speaking at a windswept Drumcree Hill after the annual service, Mr Hewitt continued: "There is one law for republicans and another one for unionists. Last year the chair of the Parades Commission stood at the foot of Drumcree Hill and said there would be a resolution by December.

"But there wasn't - and in three recent meetings with the commission they were not prepared to initiate any sanctions against the GRRC. The commission cannot go soon enough and maybe the new body will set up the talks the commission shies away from."

Earlier, the parade had made its way from Carleton Street to Drumcree and Portadown's deputy master Nigel Dawson made the protest at Obins Street before the marchers moved on.

As they passed St John's Roman Catholic Church en route, Mr McKenna and MLAs John O'Dowd of Sinn Fein and Dolores Kelly of the SDLP looked on, among a small gathering outside the church. It has been a confrontational point in the past, but not a word was exchanged yesterday.

Mr McKenna said: "The Orangemen have accepted the outward re-routing for the past 25 years and should do the same with the inward march. It's a done deal and they should accept that."

And Mr O'Dowd commented: "Republicans have compromised in many areas within the north of Ireland and Orangemen must do the same. It's the only way forward."

Mr Hewitt said: "The Portadown district used to have 10 or 12 parades in the Obins Street-Garvaghy Road area and now we have none. We want a shared future and we will continue to campaign for this last parade. We won't be going away.

"Brendan McKenna has gone on record as saying that eirigi will not go begging to the Parades Commission – which they say is a British quango – to seek permission for a parade, yet the same commission backs him at every turn.

"We (Portadown district) did not submit the permission forms for this parade until the last week, but we are law-abiding and will not break the law."

And as a final act of defiance, the Portadown district yesterday stayed in the Drumcree area beyond the 2.30pm deadline stipulated by the commission but the PSNI took no action. 5th July 2010 News Letter Online