Drumcree march approved for first time in 28 years

• The Parades Commission has approved an Orange Order march down Portadown’s Garvaghy Road on Sunday 27 September — the first such permission since 1998.¹
• The procession is capped at 35 people, including five marshals, and must leave Drumcree Church by 8am and disperse by 9.30am.²
• No bands or supporters may accompany it. Only the Portadown district banner may be carried on Garvaghy Road.²
• The Garvaghy Road Residents’ Coalition is seeking a judicial review, due to be heard on Saturday, but no injunction had been granted when the commission issued its decision.¹

The commission’s decision restores access to a route that has been closed to the Orange Order for 28 years. Its stated basis is not that the dispute has been settled, but that police had no specific information indicating the small, silent procession would cause disorder or violence. The commission also relied on the Order’s record of complying with more than 1,300 previous determinations.²

That places the immediate risk on residents who say the march revives memories of intimidation and violence, while giving the Orange Order a foothold on the road it has sought to reclaim for decades. The commission has described the decision as a balance between competing rights. For residents, the practical test now comes before the High Court on Saturday — one day before the march is due to pass through their community.

Footnotes

1. The Irish Times, “Orange Order granted permission to march down Garvaghy Road for first time since 1997”, 25 September 2026 ↩ ↩²

2. Northern Ireland Parades Commission, determination on the Portadown District LOL No. 1 parade, 25 September 2026 ↩ ↩² ↩³