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Protesters block Orange Order march on Garvaghy Road after ban on the route is lifted
September 27, 2026
Protesters gathered on Garvaghy Road in Portadown on Sunday to block an Orange Order march that the Parades Commission had permitted on Friday.
The Garvaghy Road in Portadown was a flashpoint between Catholic and Protestant communities before the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, and the Orange Order march had been barred from it for nearly 30 years.
Key facts
- CBS News reports that the Orange Order parade may use the Garvaghy Road for the first time in nearly 30 years; the road saw clashes until the 1998 Good Friday Agreement mostly brought the killing to an end.
- The Jerusalem Post reports that people blocked the Garvaghy Road in Portadown on September 27, 2026, as Orange Order members prepared to walk it during the annual Drumcree parade.
- On Friday the Parades Commission lifted a ban of almost 30 years and let the Orange Order walk the Garvaghy Road, a Catholic area inside mostly Protestant Portadown.
- The BBC reports that Claire Hanna, who leads the SDLP, came to the Garvaghy Road, where people opposed to the Orange Order march had assembled.
- Al Jazeera reports that a crowd assembled on Garvaghy Road on Sunday, objecting to a court decision that lets the Orange Order parade proceed.
Reuters reports a crowd blocking the Garvaghy Road in Portadown ahead of the annual Drumcree parade by the Orange Order. The Jerusalem Post and Al Jazeera describe the road as a Catholic enclave in a largely Protestant town, and Al Jazeera reports the crowd came out on Sunday to protest a court ruling that allowed the march. CBS News reports that the parade is cleared to use the road for the first time in close to 30 years, and ties that history to the violence the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 largely ended.
The BBC follows the day on the road: police call on the protesters to disperse, and the Orange Order says it will march once the road is clear. The BBC reports that SDLP leader Claire Hanna arrived among the protesters and that DUP MP Carla Lockhart urged the PSNI to "do their job" and enforce the Parades Commission decision. Al Jazeera reports that police vans warned protesters they were committing a criminal offence, and that Prime Minister Andy Burnham called for calm. The Financial Times headline describes a tense stand-off.
The outlets agree on the core facts: the Parades Commission lifted the ban, protesters blocked the route, and police asked them to leave. The outcome of the march is still open.
Andy Burnham, the British Prime Minister, urged calm, saying there have been “big gains made in Northern Ireland, and we don’t want to see things go backwards”.
Andy Burnham
Still developing
The Orange Order is expected to march when protesters disperse, and police are calling for them to go.
How settled the reporting is
Sources
- Reuters — Protesters block Orange Order from marching through Catholic area in Northern Ireland - Internazionale
- BBC — Controversial Orange Order march to go ahead for first time in nearly 30 years after late night drama - BBC
- CBS News — Controversial Northern Ireland march set to be held for first time since Good Friday Agreement
- The Jerusalem Post — Northern Ireland Protestant march barred from Catholic area by protesters - The Jerusalem Post
- Al Jazeera — Northern Ireland protesters block Orange Order march in Portadown | News | Al Jazeera
- The Times of Israel — Protesters block Catholic area in Northern Ireland ahead of Orange Order march | The Times of Israel
- Financial Times — Northern Ireland in tense stand-off as protests block Orange Order parade - Financial Times
Toggle read the full reports of 6 of the 8 outlets counted on this event. The other 2 are counted from their headlines and opening sentences.