Garvaghy Road residents seek overturn of parade ruling

Updated / Monday, 5 Oct 2026 06:10 The Parades Commission issued its ruling on 25 September The residents of Portadown's Garvaghy Road return to the courts this morning in a fresh attempt to overturn permission for an Orange Order parade. The group was refused leave to seek a judicial review last weekend, sparking a week of protest which prevented the march taking place. The Parades Commission had approved an application for 35 Orangemen to walk along the Garvaghy Road last Sunday at 8am with no band and no supporters. It was the first time the parade had been allowed in 28 years after the commission said the PSNI had no intelligence that it would lead to disorder. The Drumcree dispute dates back to the 1990s when it became synonymous with loyalist violence and a series of murders, as paramilitaries sought to ensure that the parade went ahead. Residents, who are vehemently opposed to a parade of any kind, immediately took to the streets in large numbers when they heard the outcome of last week's legal battle. Orangemen attempted to make their way down towards the Garvaghy Road on Saturday People also travelled from all over Ireland to support them. The PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said he wanted to facilitate the parade but was not prepared to do it at any cost. He said he was not willing to bring the Orangemen down through a "hostile" crowd and suggested to do so could have "catastrophic consequences" for Northern Ireland. Talks convened by the British Secretary for Northern Ireland Chris Bryant, involving the residents and members of Portadown District of the Orange Order, failed to reach a compromise. This morning, residents will return to Northern Ireland's Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn the refusal to grant them a judicial review of the Parades Commission decision. They will argue that the judge who refused them leave to seek a judicial review had "erred" in law. They claim the Parades Commission applied the incorrect test when assessing the police advice. Read more: Kneecap show support for Garvaghy Road residents They say the commission looked for specific information that disorder would occur, rather that considering the potential that it might happen. They will say the commission's interpretation of the police advice was not an accurate representation of what they had been told by senior officers. Lawyers will also argue that in balancing the rights of the Orangemen and the residents, the judge was wrong not to acknowledge that the Portadown District had the option of returning to Portadown from church the same way they had come. The Northern Secretary said he still held out hope of a settlement following a huge rally in support of the residents and a smaller one in support of Portadown District in Portadown this weekend. "I'm pleased that events have passed this weekend in Portadown without major incident," Mr Bryant said. "I continue to speak with people of goodwill on all sides and believe a mutually agreeable solution is still possible if people can show leadership based on openness, compromise and magnanimity."