The dispute over the Garvaghy Road is still too often presented in familiar communal terms. Protestants on one side, Catholics on the other. That framing gives the Orange Order a representative status which the evidence does not justify.
In the 2022 “Northern Ireland” Life and Times Survey, people were asked whether parades should only be allowed where organisers and local residents agree the arrangements. Among Protestant respondents, 57% either agreed or strongly agreed. Only 23% disagreed or strongly disagreed.
That was not a poll specifically about the Garvaghy Road and it should not be treated as one. There are, however, reasons to suspect that Protestant opposition to this particular march could be higher, given the exceptional history of Drumcree and the length of time since an Orange procession last passed along the road.
What the figures establish is that the principle of requiring agreement with local residents is not remotely an anti-Protestant position. A clear majority of Protestants surveyed supported it.
That conclusion has since been reinforced by an open letter from more than 1,000 people of a Protestant background urging the Orange Order to end the impasse and expressing solidarity with Garvaghy Road residents.
A Church of Ireland report on sectarianism in 1999 acknowledged that the Orange Order was “widely perceived as itself sectarian” and that many regarded its public parades as sectarian and intimidatory. More importantly, it emphasised that the Church of Ireland and the Order had, in significant respects, “parted company”.
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland was similarly forthright during the earlier Drumcree dispute of the 90s. Its Church and Government Committee stated that parading to and from church was not an absolute civil or religious right where the rights of others were affected, while criticising the Portadown Orangemen for ignoring calls to reach a local accommodation or abide by the Parades Commission determination.
The smaller and more conservative Reformed Presbyterian Church goes further still. Its official Testimony states that it is inconsistent for Christians to join the Orange Order, citing, among other things, its oath-bound character and political commitments.
None of this means Protestants speak with one voice. They plainly do not. It simply means that the Orange Order cannot be treated as though its position is synonymous with Protestant opinion. Whatever support the Order retains, its relationship with substantial sections of the wider Protestant community is clearly far more strained and complicated than its defenders sometimes suggest.
Spending time around the Garvaghy Road and its immediate vicinity brought home another side of the story. I was almost overwhelmed by the community spirit I encountered. Local people had organised and fundraised for hot food, drinks and snacks, as well as tents and access to a nearby community centre, while neighbours checked on both one another and new faces, while making a conscious effort to maintain a peaceful atmosphere.
It felt less like a community defined by confrontation than one determined to look after its own people and ensure that anyone present was supported.
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