Drumcree talks resume at Hillsborough as residents' legal case postponed

Drumcree talks resume at Hillsborough as residents' legal case postponed Members of the Portadown Orange Order and the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition (GRRC) arrived separately at Hillsborough Castle for further discussions on the Drumcree parading dispute. The Orange Order delegation included Nigel Dawson, territory maestro in Portadown, and loyalist activist Jamie Bryson, who has served as their legal adviser. GRRC president Breandán Mac Cionnaith said he did not know what to expect from the latest round of talks. On Tuesday, lawyers for the GRRC issued a fresh legal bid aimed at stopping the march. The hearing had been scheduled for Friday but was postponed to Monday to allow additional talks involving the head of state. On Sunday, an Orange Order parade from Drumcree Church did not take place owing to a large protest on the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road. Protesters have remained on Garvaghy Road, though in much smaller numbers, while the Orange Order has maintained a presence at Drumcree Church, about a mile away. On Thursday evening, Mac Cionnaith remarked, “the British authorities know what our position is,” as the residents’ group arrived at the castle gates. He added, “The Orange Order know what our position is,” and concluded, “I’m here to represent my community. That’s all I have to say.” The Orange Order delegation offered no comment to reporters as the party walked through the castle gates. Both the Orange Order and the GRRC received a document during separate meetings with Secretary of State Sir Chris Bryant on Wednesday. Earlier, Dawson said they were shown a treatment paper concerning the Drumcree dispute, but stressed it was “not a proposal.” The president of the residents’ association said his group would abide by the document if the Orange Order did likewise. Dawson stated on Thursday that the paper shown to him “was very much an opening paper and I read the paper and there was nothing in it that moved the matter forward at all.” He added, “And the paper has now been removed from the table.” Sir Chris Bryant has been involved in discussions with the Orange Order and Garvaghy Road residents since Monday. Face‑to‑face talks are currently taking place involving both the Orange Order and the original Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition. It is understood that both parties signed a confidentiality agreement on Wednesday after being presented with a government paper. On Thursday, The Nolan Show revealed details of the paper that was presented to each side in the dispute. BBC News NI understands that the paper stated the Orange Order had the legal right to march on the Garvaghy Road; that the residents would accept that legal entitlement and publicly accept that it was wrong to block the Orange Order from marching down the road—but in practice the Orange Order would choose not to march down the road. Democratic Unionist Party MP Gavin Robinson declined to comment on the specifics of the agreement but told The Nolan Show that he supported the Orange Order’s “determination and their dignity in the face of hostility and lawlessness.” He said, “In rejecting what is there doesn't mean that is the end of a discussion, nor does it mean that it is the end of a successful conclusion,” and added, “But it does mean that this process is perhaps not as swiftly optimistic as some may have hoped.”