{"id":639859,"date":"2026-09-29T20:10:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T20:10:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/639859\/"},"modified":"2026-09-29T20:10:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T20:10:28","slug":"orange-order-has-very-positive-and-constructive-meeting-with-bryant-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/639859\/","title":{"rendered":"Orange Order has \u2018very positive and constructive meeting\u2019 with Bryant \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Main PointsThe standoff in Portadown has entered a third day despite efforts by Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant to mediate a solution yesterday. It follows the blocking of a contentious Orange Order<\/a> parade from proceeding along Garvaghy Road on Sunday<\/a>.The Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition has lodged a legal challenge to a ruling which found the Orange Order Drumcree parade could proceed at the weekend.The Orange Order has made a criminal complaint against First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill and Sinn F\u00e9in leader Mary Lou McDonald over their participation in the protests.O\u2019Neill says she has not been contacted by the PSNI over her attendance at the unlawful protest.Key Reads<\/p>\n

Colin Gleeson – 51 minutes ago<\/p>\n

Meeting of Garvaghy Road residents gets underway<\/p>\n

A meeting of the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition has started, Mark Hennessy reports from the scene. The press have been left outside. <\/p>\n

He tells us there were cheers for their representatives upon entering, but adds: \u201cThat tells little.\u201d<\/p>\n

Colin Gleeson – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

Garvaghy Road residents leave meeting\"BreandánBreand\u00e1n Mac Cionnaith speaking on Saturday. Photograph: Mark Marlow\/PA Wire <\/p>\n

Garvaghy Road residents have finished a meeting with Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Bryant at Hillsborough Castle.<\/p>\n

A representative of the community, Breand\u00e1n Mac Cionnaith left without making comment, stating \u201cit\u2019s only fair\u201d to brief residents first.<\/p>\n

Colin Gleeson – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

Michelle O\u2019Neill says \u2018right is always right\u2019\"NorthernNorthern Ireland First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill speaking to the media outside Government Buildings. Photograph: Sam Boal\/Collins Photos <\/p>\n

O\u2019Neill earlier said police have not contacted her about her attendance at an unlawful protest against the Drumcree parade, adding that she does not expect to be arrested.<\/p>\n

She and other senior colleagues were among a large crowd that blockaded the road in the predominantly nationalist Garvaghy Road area on Sunday to prevent the contentious Orange Order Drumcree parade from passing the route.<\/p>\n

Under parading laws in Northern Ireland, protests must be notified to, and approved by, the Parades Commission adjudication body.<\/p>\n

Under parading laws in Northern Ireland, protests must be notified to, and approved by, the Parades Commission adjudication body.<\/p>\n

Police have confirmed the protest was unnotified to the commission and therefore unlawful.<\/p>\n

Asked if she believed she was above the law, O\u2019Neill told reporters: \u201cRight is always right, and this community needs our support right now \u2013 and I will continue to stand with the Garvaghy Road residents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Colin Gleeson – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

Orange Order describes meeting as \u2018positive\u2019\"OrangeOrange Order’s Portadown district master Nigel Dawson (left), Jamie Bryson, legal representative for Portadown District Lodge 101 (centre), Alastair Power, the deputy district master of the Portadown district of the Orange Order (right), with two other elders arriving at Hillsborough Castle for a meeting with the Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant. Photograph: Liam McBurney\/PA Wire <\/p>\n

The Orange Order has said it had \u201ca very positive and constructive meeting\u201d with Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Bryant.<\/p>\n

Speaking as his group left the meeting at Hillsborough Castle, Orange Order Portadown district master Nigel Dawson said: \u201cWe have once again had a very positive and constructive meeting with the Secretary of State.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, the contents of the meeting is confidential but we look forward to the law being applied to the parade.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will not be taking any questions because this is a confidential meeting we had with the Secretary of State.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked when the process will continue, he said: \u201cThat\u2019s a question for the Secretary of State.\u201d<\/p>\n

Colin Gleeson – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

Hear from our reporter on the Garvaghy Road<\/p>\n

Since early Sunday morning, 35 members of the Orange Order have been waiting at Drumcree Church to parade down the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown.<\/p>\n

It is a march that, in the 1990s, sparked tension and violence in Drumcree, and with the result that the Protestant loyalist organisation has been refused permission to march through the Catholic area for nearly 30 years.<\/p>\n

So why was it given permission now?<\/p>\n

As of Tuesday, the Orangemen remain determined to march, saying they now have the legal right to do so. The local nationalist community is equally intent on preventing them.<\/p>\n

And the repercussions are being felt at Stormont. The DUP and the Orange Order have made complaints to the PSNI about the presence of Sinn F\u00e9in president Mary Lou McDonald and Northern Ireland\u2019s First Minister, Michelle O\u2019Neill, at the protest.<\/p>\n

With tensions running high on the streets of Drumcree, and the DUP-Sinn F\u00e9in political partnership fraying, could this standoff bring down Stormont?<\/p>\n

You can hear from Mark Hennessy, The Irish Times Ireland and Britain Editor, in our In the News podcast<\/a> as he reports from the Garvaghy Road.<\/p>\n

Colin Gleeson – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

Parades Commission \u2018materially misdirected itself\u2019\"MembersMembers of the Garvaghy Road Residents’ Coalition, arriving at Hillsborough Castle for a meeting with the Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant. Photograph: Liam McBurney\/PA Wire <\/p>\n

On the fresh legal bid to prevent the Drumcree march, lawyers for the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition have argued the Parades Commission \u201cmaterially misdirected itself\u201d on the police assessment of the potential for disorder.<\/p>\n

The group has also claimed the Parades Commission had not given an \u201caccurate representation of the evidence received from PSNI\u201d in its decision.<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 3 hours ago<\/p>\n

Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition lodge legal challenge to ruling and seek \u2018urgent hearing\u2019<\/p>\n

The Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition has lodged a legal challenge to a ruling which found the Orange Order Drumcree parade could proceed at the weekend, reports Northern Correspondent Sean\u00edn Graham.<\/p>\n

The residents\u2019 solicitor, Darragh Mackin of Phoenix Law, confirmed on Wednesday that he had submitted an appeal seeking an \u201curgent hearing\u201d.<\/p>\n

Papers were lodged to the Court of Appeal in Belfast shortly before 3pm, ahead of their meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary for State Chris Bryant, at Hillsborough Castle.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is clear there\u2019s a wider public interest in having these issues determined,\u201d Mackin told The Irish Times.<\/p>\n

The residents will challenge an appeal granted to the Orange Order following an overnight court hearing on Sunday, which resulted in an earlier injunction banning the parade being overturned.<\/p>\n

Central to the residents\u2019 appeal will be a PSNI submission to the Parades Commission.<\/p>\n

The commission determined that a limited parade of 35 Orange Order members could proceed down the nationalist Garvaghy Road.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe late disclosure at 1.30am on Sunday morning regarding the content of the police assessment given to the Parades Commission called into question the rationality of the Parades Commission\u2019s decision in the first instance,\u201d Mackin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor that reason, it is important these issues are ventilated before the court at the earliest opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is not yet clear when the appeal hearing will take place.<\/p>\n

Mackin also rejected claims made on Tuesday by an Orange Order member who said that the Parades determination remained \u201clive\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no rationale for saying it\u2019s a live determination. It\u2019s not. That\u2019s wrong,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

If the Portadown Orange Order members leave Drumcree Church, they know they will have \u201chave to reapply\u201d to the commission for another parade, he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey police cannot extend a Parades Commission determination,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 3 hours ago<\/p>\n

Second day of clashes in Stormont Assembly over ongoing stand-off at Drumcree<\/p>\n

Sinn F\u00e9in Assembly member (MLA) Pat Sheehan asked unionist MLAs seated opposite why they had given over the leadership of unionism \u201cto this buck idiot, Jamie Bryson,\u201d reports Northern Editor Freya McClements.<\/p>\n

The high-profile loyalist activist and \u201clegal eagle\u201d, Sheehan said, was \u201cswinging you all around by the tail. Why do you not just stand up?\u201d, he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe leader of unionism at the minute, who is calling the shots, is standing down at Drumcree,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In response, DUP MLA Diane Forsythe described Sheehan as an \u201cIRA bomber,\u201d in reference to a past conviction and emphasised she was \u201cproud\u201d to say DUP leader Gavin Robinson was the leader of unionism.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe does a much better job than the part-timer [Sinn F\u00e9in vice president] Michelle O\u2019Neill, First Minister on the run from the chamber.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ulster Unionist leader Jon Burrows criticised the Sinn F\u00e9in politicians who took part in the unnotified protest against the Drumcree parade on Sunday, saying \u201cyou have damaged the legitimacy of this place and that is shameful.<\/p>\n

\u201cA big challenge is coming down the road for Sinn F\u00e9in, because its members broke the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

SDLP MLA and Leader of the Opposition, Matthew O\u2019Toole, highlighted the continued \u201cdysfunction\u201d of the Stormont Executive, not least over its continued failure to agree a budget and said Northern Ireland was \u201cat a moment of acute political \u2013 possibly even societal \u2013 crisis, given what has become a stand-off.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I want a resolution to the issue at Garvaghy Road that upholds the rights of the residents, I also have to be clear about the unacceptability of walking away from the responsibility to govern this place,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) MLA Timothy Gaston repeated his call for the DUP to walk out of the Executive and collapse the power-sharing institutions, asking \u201chow can she [O\u2019Neill] remain a fit partner in government for [deputy first minister] Emma Little-Pengelly?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rule of law must be upheld,\u201d he said. \u201cNo parade, no Stormont \u2013 and no surrender.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Assembly also heard O\u2019Neill will attend the chamber to answer an urgent oral question regarding her presence at Sunday\u2019s protest next week, after she failed to do so on Monday.<\/p>\n

DUP MLA Philip Brett had tabled the urgent oral question asking O\u2019Neill to explain how her attendance at the protest was in keeping with her pledge of office as an MLA.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Neill defended her presence at Sunday\u2019s protest, which was not notified to the Parades Commission and was therefore deemed illegal, in the Assembly earlier on Monday, saying she had attended in her capacity as the vice president of Sinn F\u00e9in, not as First Minister.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, speaker Edwin Poots gave an update to the Assembly, saying O\u2019Neill had initially indicated she would attend to answer the question that day, but later informed him she was unable to do so because of \u201canother urgent engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Neill and McDonald were in Dublin on Tuesday afternoon for a meeting with Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin to discuss the ongoing stand-off at Drumcree.<\/p>\n

Poots said he had been given an assurance O\u2019Neill would attend next week and he was content the matter was resolved.<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 3 hours ago<\/p>\n

\u2018There has to be an intervention,\u2019 says McDonald\"SinnSinn Fein Leader Mary Lou McDonald and First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O\u2019Neil, speaking to the media outside Government Buildings, ahead of a meeting regarding the situation in Portadown. Photograph: SAM BOAL\/Collins Photos <\/p>\n

\u201cThe situation now on the Garvaghy Road is very urgent, there has to be an intervention,\u201d said Sinn F\u00e9in leader Mary Lou McDonald, reports Political Correspondent Harry McGee.<\/p>\n

McDonald, along with First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill, went to meet the Taoiseach and the T\u00e1naiste at Government Buildings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe march has to be stopped and the person with the discretion to do that is the British Secretary of State.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey expect the Government here in Dublin \u2014 their government, because they are Irish citizens.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey expect that their government intervenes and demands that the British Secretary of State stop sitting on his hands and delaying matters and intervenes now, as is his right and his power, to stop this march.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said she will be asking Simon Harris and Miche\u00e1l Martin to \u201cintervene directly now and ask the British Government to do the right thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day that passes, the pressure on the community grows, and I think it\u2019s fair to say that you couldn\u2019t overstate the kind of trauma that has now been revisited on the community. <\/p>\n

She said that community life and family lives are \u201ccompletely disrupted\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe level of damage that has been done to relationships across all communities is immense, and the longer this goes on, the more that will deteriorate.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said that \u201c28 years of peace\u201d in the Garvaghy Road area is now \u201cin jeopardy\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis proposal for a sectarian march, an Orange march, down the Garvaghy Road, travelling through a Catholic neighbourhood, is part of a broader charter, a rejectionist charter. People want to drag us all back to the past,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 4 hours ago<\/p>\n

First Minister has not been contacted by PSNI following attendance of protest on Garvaghy Road<\/p>\n

Northern Ireland\u2019s First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill said she has not been contacted by the police over her attendance at an unlawful protest against the Drumcree parade in Co Armagh.<\/p>\n

Arriving for a meeting with Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin and T\u00e1naiste Simon Harris, O\u2019Neill was asked if she had been contacted by the PSNI and whether she expects to be arrested following her attendance, she replied: \u201cNo, I have not. And no.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Neill has faced criticism from unionists after she attended the unlawful protest in Portadown when she stood alongside residents on the Garvaghy Road.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Neill and other senior colleagues were among a large crowd that blocked the road in the predominantly nationalist area to prevent the Orange Order Drumcree parade from taking the route. – PA<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 4 hours ago<\/p>\n

Garvaghy Road residents to tell NI Secretary they will not accept a parade\"BreandánBreand\u00e1n Mac Cionnaith said, \u201cno parade is no parade, that\u2019s it.\u201d Photograph: Charles McQuillan\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Garvaghy Road residents will tell the Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Bryant that they will not accept a parade, at a meeting on Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n

Asked as he arrived at Hillsborough Castle for the meeting, what his message to Bryant is, representative of the community, Breand\u00e1n Mac Cionnaith said \u201creroute the sectarian parade, that\u2019s it\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo parade is no parade, that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what our community wants. That\u2019s what almost 4,000 people living in our community want and we gave that evidence to the Parades Commission last week.<\/p>\n

\u201cA signed petition, signed by 4,000 residents. That\u2019s our mandate.\u201d – PA<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 5 hours ago<\/p>\n

Opinion: Drumcree standoff puts a significant achievement of the peace process at risk\"AA PSNI vehicle near Drumcree Church following a weekend of tension at Drumcree in Portadown. Photograph: Liam McBurney\/PA Wire <\/p>\n

\u201cNo talking, no walking\u201d was the position of the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition from the outset of the dispute in 1995, writes Newton Emerson.<\/p>\n

If Portadown District Orange Lodge would not talk to residents, they would not agree to a parade.<\/p>\n

The Orangemen would not talk because they believed they needed no consent from residents to walk \u201cthe Queen\u2019s highway\u201d. <\/p>\n

They did engage in shuttle diplomacy in 1995, with mediators moving between both sides until a parade was agreed. But the lack of direct contact led to mutual misunderstanding: residents thought they had a respectful compromise; Orangemen thought they had won. <\/p>\n

Notorious scenes of jubilation outside Portadown\u2019s Orange Hall destroyed the deal and have left residents wary ever since.<\/p>\n

This deadlock has defined Drumcree and the British government\u2019s strategic response: the creation of the Parades Commission in 1998.<\/p>\n

Read the full article here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 5 hours ago<\/p>\n

Government Chief Whip rejects calls for D\u00e1il debate on Garvaghy Road <\/p>\n

Government Chief Whip Mary Butler rejected calls in the D\u00e1il for a debate this week on the Garvaghy Road crisis, reports Parliamentary Correspondent Marie O\u2019Halloran.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s important that efforts involved in the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the UK Secretary of State and importantly the communities, are allowed to continue,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She was responding to calls from People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett for an \u201curgent debate\u201d about the Garvaghy Road crisis. He said his call last week was ignored, and the crisis had developed.<\/p>\n

The Irish Government and British governments have a responsibility to make sure \u201ccommunities are free from sectarian intimidation,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat was ignored, and we saw the escalation last week and that is still not resolved.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we have an urgent discussion to make sure this Government and this Oireachtas discharge its responsibility in that regard,\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Independent Laois TD Brian Stanley backed the call for a debate. He said the only reason the parade was given the go ahead for the Orange Order was to \u201cdemonstrate supremacy and dominance over the national community there\u201d.<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 5 hours ago<\/p>\n

Delegation from Portadown Orange Order arrives at Hillsborough Castle for talks\"JamieJamie Bryson, legal representative for Portadown District Lodge 101, Alistair Power, the deputy district master of the Portadown District of the Orange Order (right), arriving at Hillsborough Castle for a meeting with the Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Bryant. Photograph: Liam McBurney\/PA Wire <\/p>\n

A delegation from Portadown Orange Order has arrived at Hillsborough Castle for talks with Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Bryant.<\/p>\n

The group was accompanied by their legal adviser, loyalist activist Jamie Bryson.<\/p>\n

The delegation, which includes District Grand Master Nigel Dawson, did not speak to the media on arrival. – PA<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 5 hours ago<\/p>\n

\u2018We need to be careful of\u2019 placing responsibility on the PSNI, says Taoiseach\"TaoiseachTaoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin said: \u201cWe should be clear about supporting the PSNI in that objective and avoiding any action that would precipitate injury or harm to people.” Photograph: EPA <\/p>\n

In response to Labour leader Ivana Bacik\u2019s question, the Taoiseach said \u201cwe need to be careful of\u201d placing responsibility on the PSNI, reports Parliamentary Correspondent Marie O\u2019Halloran.<\/p>\n

Miche\u00e1l Martin said \u201cI think the PSNI would say there were caveats to that\u201d. He paid tribute Chief Constable Jon Boutcher who had one \u201cclear objective\u201d that he \u201cdidn\u2019t want one ear and one head hurt or injured\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should be clear about supporting the PSNI in that objective and avoiding any action that would precipitate injury or harm to people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said the manner in which the decision was allowed seemed to suggest there were \u201cclear issues\u201d if they were \u201conly allowing 35\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to focus on how we can bring all different dimensions to this together and how we can have a conversation and develop a conversation between the communities involved to try and resolve this once and for all or to get a pathway to resolution of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we now need to concentrate on how we get a resolution to this, which will not be easy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 5 hours ago<\/p>\n

Bacik: \u2018We must not abandon\u2019 residents\"LabourLabour Party leader Ivana Bacik said: Residents \u201cmay well feel that the institutions set up to protect peace have abandoned them. So we must not abandon them.\u201d Photograph: Brian Lawless\/PA Wire <\/p>\n

Labour leader Ivana Bacik said it was a \u201cfailure of Northern Ireland\u2019s political system that the situation remains so tense and volatile today,\u201d in the D\u00e1il, reports Parliamentary Correspondent Marie O\u2019Halloran.<\/p>\n

Residents \u201cmay well feel that the institutions set up to protect peace have abandoned them. So we must not abandon them.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, the Taoiseach has a \u201crole in restoring trust\u201d.<\/p>\n

She warned \u201cthere are sinister actors who want to see mediation fail, who want to explore the dysfunction in power sharing and in devolution to bring down the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement and we cannot allow them to win\u201d.<\/p>\n

Bacik asked if the Taoiseach had questioned the PSNI as to \u201cwhy it told the parades commission that the Drumcree parade could safely take place, as it clearly could not\u201d.<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 5 hours ago<\/p>\n

First Minister \u2018proud\u2019 to be involved in Garvaghy Road protest\"FirstFirst Minister Michelle O’Neill said she would assert the rights of the residents of the Garvaghy Road \u201cto live their life free from fear and intimidation \u2026 all day long and every day.\u201d Photograph: Liam McBurney\/PA Wire <\/p>\n

The DUP and the Orange Order have made complaints to police about the presence of a number of Sinn F\u00e9in representatives at the protest on Sunday – including Sinn F\u00e9in president Mary Lou McDonald, vice president and Northern Ireland\u2019s First Minister, Michelle O\u2019Neill – which prevented it from proceeding along the Garvaghy Road, reports Northern Editor Freya McClements.<\/p>\n

In the Stormont chamber on Monday, O\u2019Neill defended her participation, saying she was \u201cproud\u201d to be involved and she would assert the rights of the residents of the Garvaghy Road \u201cto live their life free from fear and intimidation \u2026 all day long and every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 6 hours ago<\/p>\n

PSNI continue \u2018to review evidence gathered\u2019<\/p>\n

The Police Service of Northern Ireland\u2019s (PSNI) \u201csignificant public safety operation\u201d remains in place on the Garvaghy Road.<\/p>\n

In an update on the Drumcree policing operation, Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said: \u201cOvernight, we have continued to engage and assess how best to balance the rights of all parties.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will continue to explore and keep under review a range of tactical options to safely bring this matter to a conclusion and keep the peace.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur dedicated enquiry team are continuing to review evidence gathered to ensure an effective criminal justice strategy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 6 hours ago<\/p>\n

Taoiseach \u2018relieved\u2019 that those directly involved are \u2018open to mediation\u2019\"TaoiseachTaoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin said he did not think \u201cone intervention\u201d was going to resolve the situation on Garvaghy road. Photograph: Cillian Sherlock\/PA Wire<\/p>\n

Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin said he did not think \u201cone intervention\u201d was going to resolve the situation on Garvaghy road, reports Parliamentary Correspondent Marie O\u2019Halloran.<\/p>\n

Responding to Sinn F\u00e9in leader Mary Lou McDonald\u2019s call for him to call on the British government and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to stop the parade, he said he had been in touch with British prime minister Andy Burnham and they had discussed the situation over the weekend.<\/p>\n

Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee \u201chas been in constant contact with the secretary of state\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said \u201cif we\u2019re honest, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s as simple as that\u201d to have \u201cone intervention\u201d to stop the parade.<\/p>\n

People \u201chave to stand back and there has to be some collective pathway determined with some degree of mediation\u201d.<\/p>\n

Describing the situation as \u201cdeeply depressing\u201d the Taoiseach said there are \u201ca number of complications to this that transpired over the weekend\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said it \u201ccalls for creative thinking\u201d to \u201ccreate a pathway of reconciliation and trust, building on the platform of work that has been underway in this community for quite some time, building on that platform to create a long-lasting peaceful resolution of this\u201d.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cI understand fully that feelings are very high, but this is a time for all of us to be calm and to be careful in what we say and what we do.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am relieved that those directly involved are open to mediation\u201d and he supported the idea of an \u201cindependent international figure, to play a role in supporting and encouraging mediation and negotiation\u201d.<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 6 hours ago<\/p>\n

McDonald calls on Taoiseach to inform British prime minister and NI Secretary of their responsibility to end this \u2018nightmare\u2019\"SinnSinn F\u00e9in president Mary Lou McDonald speaks to the media outside Hillsborough Castle following a meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Bryant to discuss the Drumcree parading dispute. Photograph: Liam McBurney\/PA Wire <\/p>\n

In the D\u00e1il, Sinn F\u00e9in leader Mary Lou McDonald said the Irish and British governments have a responsibility to ensure \u201cthere is no Orange Order march down the Garvaghy Road,\u201d reports Parliamentary Correspondent Marie O\u2019Halloran.<\/p>\n

She said the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland \u201ccan stop this sectarian march being forced down that road and that is what he must do, because the way to restore peace and calm is this\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is the way to resolve this crisis,\u201d she insisted and called on Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin to inform \u201cthe British prime minister and the Secretary of State of their responsibility to end this nightmare and to stop this march and to allow the people of the Garvaghy Road and beyond to return to their peaceful lives\u201d.<\/p>\n

She asked the Taoiseach to \u201cimpress upon the British government and the Secretary of State, that he can no longer sit on his hands. He has to intervene and stop this march.\u201d<\/p>\n

McDonald asked \u201cwhy when a generation has grown up without this intimidation, without this fear, why is there such determination to reopen this dispute and override the clearly expressed wishes of the community\u201d.<\/p>\n

But she asked \u201chow was such an incomprehensible and wrong decision arrived at? What changed?\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cdays of second-class citizenship are over\u201d and there would be no return to the past. <\/p>\n

For mediation to succeed \u201cthe community need to have the threat of this sectarian march lifted\u201d.<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 6 hours ago<\/p>\n

Photographs near Drumcree Church on Tuesday\"AA PSNI vehicle near Drumcree Church following a weekend of tension at Drumcree in Portadown, when the planned Orange Order parade was stopped by police, who were concerned about the scale of a mass protest on part of the proposed route – the predominantly nationalist Garvaghy Road. Photograph: Liam McBurney\/PA Wire \"AA PSNI vehicle near Drumcree Church following a weekend of tension at Drumcree in Portadown. Photograph: Liam McBurney\/PA Wire <\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 6 hours ago<\/p>\n

NI Secretary arrives at Hillsborough Castle ahead of further talks<\/p>\n

Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Bryant has arrived at Hillsborough Castle ahead of further talks aimed at resolving the Drumcree parading dispute.<\/p>\n

Bryant travelled to Co Down after delivering his speech at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.<\/p>\n

He is due to host delegations from the Orange Order and Garvaghy Road residents. – PA<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 7 hours ago<\/p>\n

Determination remains \u2018live,\u2019 says Portadown Deputy District Master<\/p>\n

Earlier, Portadown Deputy District Master Alistair Power told reporters that the determination by the Parades Commission to grant the parade remained \u201clive,\u201d reports Northern Correspondent Sean\u00edn Graham.<\/p>\n

It had previously been suggested that the controversial determination \u2013 which was challenged in the High Court during a marathon series of 14-hour hearings at the weekend \u2013 lapsed by midnight on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Portadown district also told police on Tuesday that they are ready to walk down the Garvaghy Road when the PSNI is ready to facilitate it.<\/p>\n

The lodge has accepted a second invitation from Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Bryant at Hillsborough Castle this afternoon.<\/p>\n

Its statement added: \u201cWe must all be governed by the same law and expect our rights under it to be vindicated.<\/p>\n

\u201cOurs have been denied and despite having used the law and obtaining a clear determination in our favour, the message being sent now is that this counts for nothing and instead, it is those who break the law who are rewarded and prevail.<\/p>\n

\u201dIf this persists then in general, the rule of law collapses but in particular parading regulation collapses as any group, on any side, will know all they must do to override the Parades Commission is to put a mob on the street and the Chief Constable will wilt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 8 hours ago<\/p>\n

Orange Order makes criminal complaint against Michelle O\u2019Neill and Mary Lou McDonald\"SinnSinn Fein\u2019s Mary Lou MacDonald and Michelle O\u2019Neill joins protestors to block the road during a stand off in Portadown. Photograph: Clodagh Kilcoyne for the Irish Times <\/p>\n

The Orange Order has made a criminal complaint against First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill and Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald over their participation in the Garvaghy Road protests, reports Northern Correspondent Sean\u00edn Graham.<\/p>\n

Portadown District Lodge confirmed on Tuesday it made a formal complaint to the Chief Constable in relation to four alleged offences \u201cincluding under the Serious Crime Act 2007\u201d.<\/p>\n

In a statement, it said the rule of law has been \u201chugely damaged\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cFaith in the law continues to erode as the PSNI continue to facilitate an unlawful mob thumbing their nose at the legal determination and our courts,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe impact of this cannot be underestimated. As a society, we must all be governed by the same law, and expect our rights under it to be vindicated.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Neill and McDonald stood with thousands of protestors on the Garvaghy Road on Sunday morning ahead of the planned parade by 35 members of Portadown district, which was due to begin at 8am.<\/p>\n

Sinn F\u00e9in has been contacted for comment.<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 8 hours ago<\/p>\n

\u2018Parades Commission got this extraordinarily wrong,\u2019 says Harris\"TánaisteT\u00e1naiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris said, “My very strong view is that the Parades Commission got this extraordinarily wrong.” Photograph: EPA <\/p>\n

It is \u201cessential\u201d that peace and order are maintained as the stand-off over the planned Orange Order march on the Garvaghy Road continues, said T\u00e1naiste Simon Harris, reports Political Correspondent Cormac McQuinn.<\/p>\n

The Fine Gael leader said what has happened and the decision of the Parades Commission to allow the march \u201chas really been extraordinarily triggering, traumatic and devastating for a community that has suffered far too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

He expressed his hope that a solution can be found that understands this.<\/p>\n

Harris also said: \u201cWe can never again see a nationalist community left behind in the North and this is simply an appalling situation\u201d.<\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters in advance of Tuesday\u2019s Cabinet meeting Harris responded to a suggestion that Garvaghy Road residents believe the Irish Government was slow to respond to events. <\/p>\n

Harris said he is \u201cdisappointed and saddened\u201d to hear that and mentioned that he met Garvaghy Road residents last week and said there has been \u201cvery intensive engagement\u201d and \u201cvery strong\u201d comments from Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin over the weekend. <\/p>\n

He said he himself has been in touch with political leaders in the North and \u201cthe Irish Government is very clear in relation to this.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy very strong view is that the Parades Commission got this extraordinarily wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that part perhaps is for another day.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cWhat is most essential now is that the very unique and traumatic circumstances and the history of that trauma are understood in finding a solution and finding a way forward and I really do also hope that at this very tense moment that the ongoing efforts to ensure that while this stand-off is in place that peace is maintained, that good order is maintained\u201d.<\/p>\n

He acknowledged that this has been the case \u201cin relation to both sides of the dispute so far and it is absolutely essential that that continues in the hours an days ahead.\u201d <\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 8 hours ago<\/p>\n

International mediator over Drumcree parade dispute \u2018likely\u2019\"MinisterMinister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee: \u201cI think it\u2019s important that we have someone that would understand the situation first and foremost.\u201d Photograph: Alan Betson \/ The Irish Times<\/p>\n

An international mediator over the Drumcree parade dispute is \u201clikely the direction that we\u2019re going in\u201d and \u201cwould be welcome on all sides,\u201d said Minister for Foreign Affairs, Helen McEntee.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s important that we have someone that would understand the situation first and foremost,\u201d she told RT\u00c9.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a very complex situation and as we know there has been significant trauma and there has been significant challenges over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why we haven\u2019t had a march in 28 years, that\u2019s why it\u2019s really important that we do not go back to the challenges of the past and to the trauma that was inflicted on communities there.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I think this is an option to move forward\u2026with the agreement of the communities and with the wider political support today so I hope that we will be able to see progress in that regard.”<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 9 hours ago<\/p>\n

Breand\u00e1n Mac Cionnaith profile: The ex-IRA man who Tony Blair said \u2018took unreasonableness to an art form\u2019\"BreandánBreand\u00e1n Mac Cionnaith speaks through a loudspeaker at the front line of the protest telling residents and supporters to stay on the streets on September 27th, 2026, in Portadown. Photograph: Charles McQuillan\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

To have been a fly on the wall when Breand\u00e1n Mac Cionnaith met Northern Ireland\u2019s Secretary of State Chris Bryant on Monday afternoon would have been interesting. Former Labour prime minister Tony Blair could have briefed Bryant on what to expect, writes former Northern editor of The Irish Times Gerry Moriarty.<\/p>\n

In his memoir, Blair remembered the Drumcree \u201cnightmare\u201d that began in the mid-1990s. He didn\u2019t specify whether he was referring to the Orange Order or the Garvaghy residents, or both,, but his view was that \u201cthe Drumcree people were the unreasonable of the unreasonable of the unreasonable\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the Premier League of unreasonableness, they left every other faction and every other dispute gasping in their wake,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

And then he lighted on \u201cthis one guy, Breand\u00e1n Mac Cionnaith\u201d. <\/p>\n

He painted a picture: \u201cHe took unreasonableness to an art form. He conceded nothing, and I mean nothing. I\u2019m not just talking about the substance of meetings, I mean where a meeting should be held. Who should be there. Who shouldn\u2019t be there. When it began. When it ended. What its purpose was. Who spoke first. Who spoke last. Who spoke in between first and last.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the full article here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 9 hours ago<\/p>\n

Secretary of State to fly back immediately to Belfast \"NorthernNorthern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Bryant speaks at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool. Photograph: Leon Neal\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Bryant is to fly back immediately to Belfast from the Labour Party conference in Liverpool , though it is likely to be mid-afternoon before he will have the opportunity for direct talks with the Orange Order, the Garvaghy Road residents and political parties.<\/p>\n

Bryant insisted he will go ahead of reforms of Northern Ireland\u2019s legacy commission, though he pointedly insisted that such a body will be able to offer truth to the families of British soldiers and Northern Irish security forces, just as much as it will for any sector of Northern Ireland\u2019s population.<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 10 hours ago<\/p>\n

\u2018Nobody, nobody, nobody wants Northern Ireland to return to 1990s\u2019\"NorthernNorthern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Bryant: Drumcree parades crisis is setting Northern Ireland back years. Photograph: Ian Forsyth\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

The Drumcree parades crisis is setting Northern Ireland back years, Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Bryant said, urging all sides to \u201cdouble down\u201d on compromise, reports Ireland and Britain Editor Mark Hennessy.<\/p>\n

Addressing a half-full hall at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Bryant said he had wanted to be speaking about all the things that are going well in Northern Ireland, \u201cnot about Drumcree\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had wanted to stand up here and boast about the news that Northern Ireland has the fastest economic growth of anywhere in the United Kingdom, and the lowest unemployment … But the situation in Drumcree is tense.\u201d<\/p>\n

The British government \u201clike every Labour government, will always go the extra mile for peace,\u201d he went on, adding that he will return to Hillsborough talks to end the crisis this afternoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s precisely what I will be doing this afternoon. Bringing both sides together, talking over one bridging sectarian divide and giving compromise a chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause nobody, nobody, nobody wants Northern Ireland to return to the 1990s. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not going to be easy. As the last few days have shown, it\u2019s really easy to stir up a grievance. Much harder to calm it down. Which is why I appeal to everyone. Believe in Northern Ireland and double down on compromise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 10 hours ago<\/p>\n

Portadown district to meet Secretary of State this afternoon\"AlistairAlistair Power, the deputy District Master of the Portadown District of the Orange Order near Drumcree Church following a weekend of tension at Drumcree in Portadown. Photograph: Liam McBurney\/PA Wire <\/p>\n

Alistair Power, the deputy district master of the Portadown District of the Orange Order, said members will walk down the Garvaghy Road when police tell them it is safe to do so.<\/p>\n

\u201cPortadown district has accepted a second invitation to go and meet the Secretary of State today and we will be doing that this afternoon,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe position of the district remains that we still have a live document, the 11\/1, which is the parade from the 27th September to bring this district down along its traditional route, via the Garvaghy Road, to complete its parade in Carleton Street.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is the position. We have asked the police when they can take that road and bring us down the road safely; we will be here to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 10 hours ago<\/p>\n

Map of the Orange Order parade route<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 10 hours ago<\/p>\n

More talks on way with NI Secretary, says senior Orangeman\"AlistairAlistair Power, the deputy district master of the Portadown District of the Orange Order, near Drumcree Church following a weekend of tension at Drumcree in Portadown. Photograph: Liam McBurney\/PA Wire <\/p>\n

A senior Orangeman said further talks will take place with Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Bryant to attempt to find a resolution to the Drumcree parading dispute.<\/p>\n

The deputy district master of the Portadown District of the Orange Order, Alistair Power, is among a small group of lodge members who have remained at Drumcree Church waiting to take part in a march that would pass along the mainly Catholic Garvaghy Road in Portadown.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cWe are still at the stalemate from eight o\u2019clock on Sunday morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe police are still giving us an assessment that they cannot police us safely down the Garvaghy Road.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have left it with them that we are here and waiting until they can give us safe passage to complete our 1998 parade which was given to us by the Parades Commission with 35 Orangemen, under really restrictive conditions from the Parades Commission but we accepted that and we wish to bring our banner back home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Power said Bryant had not indicated what the further talks would be about.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cLet\u2019s see what\u2019s on the table and hopefully everybody can come and get this done and resolved for everyone.\u201d – PA<\/p>\n

Katie Mellett – 10 hours ago<\/p>\n

McEntee: \u2018difficult few days\u2019 for Garvaghy Road residents\"MinisterMinister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said it had been a ‘very difficult few days’ for the residents on the Garvaghy Road. Photograph: EPA <\/p>\n

Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee has called for continued calm among communities in Northern Ireland as she acknowledged the \u201cdifficult few days\u201d for residents on the Garvaghy Road.<\/p>\n

Speaking on her way into Cabinet, Helen McEntee said: \u201cIt\u2019s very clear that this has been very difficult for all communities in Northern Ireland. It\u2019s been a very difficult few days for the residents on the Garvaghy Road and it has been difficult for all political parties.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to acknowledge and commend the restraint that has been shown and to call for continued calm. It\u2019s really important that people engage, that is the only way we will find a solution through this.<\/p>\n

\u201cI expect today that there will be further engagement with the community. I expect there will be further engagement with the Orange Order.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope to see a process put in place that will allow people the time and space.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have been up late at night. It has been a very challenging time, particularly for the community, and it is really important that this is resolved through dialogue, but also it\u2019s really important that people in the community do not have a march forced on them, where very clearly this is not something that people want.\u201d – PA<\/p>\n

Jack White – 11 hours ago<\/p>\n

\u2018We make for the sacrificial lamb\u2019, Garvaghy Road residents told\"BreandánBreand\u00e1n Mac Cionnaith pictured on the Garvaghy Road on Sunday. Photograph: Charles McQuillan\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Breand\u00e1n Mac Cionnaith from the Garvaghy Road Residents\u2019 Coalition has said he believed the British government has a \u201cgame plan\u201d to make the residents appear \u201cunreasonable\u201d and the Orange Order \u201clook good\u201d.<\/p>\n

Speaking to those gathered on the Garvaghy Road on Monday night, Mac Cionnaith said he accepted an offer of mediation provided they were an \u201cindependent mediator with no connection to here\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said an offer was made to host a meeting of the British government, the residents\u2019 association and the Orange Order to agree on a mediator.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not how mediation works,\u201d he said, adding: \u201cThose involved in a dispute don\u2019t appoint the mediator.\u201d<\/p>\n

There would be more engagement with the British government over the coming days, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I believe the British government already have their game plan in place and it\u2019s to make us to be the unreasonable ones and to make the Orange Order look good,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mac Cionnaith said the issue went beyond Garvaghy Road, \u201cbecause the British know that the political process here is already in crisis and that they need to be seen to give something to unionism\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we make for the sacrificial lamb,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He reiterated that \u201cOrange feet\u201d on the Garvaghy Road was \u201cnot acceptable to this community\u201d or nationalist communities \u201cright across the North\u201d.<\/p>\n

Should the British government go down that path, \u201clet it be on their head\u201d, he told those gathered.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause they already know what the result of a march on Garvaghy Road will be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Jack White – 11 hours ago<\/p>\n

While residents remain on the Garvaghy Road, so too do several Orangemen at Drumcree Church.<\/p>\n

The Orange Order members made a number of attempts to proceed with their parade on Monday but were prevented from doing so by PSNI officers.<\/p>\n

\"AA march of members of the Orange Order is blocked by police near Drumcree Church on Monday. Photograph: Reuters\/Cathal McNaughton <\/p>\n

Jack White – 11 hours ago<\/p>\n

Further talks are due to be held today with Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant.<\/p>\n

However, he is scheduled to speak at a Labour Party conference in Manchester at 10am, so any talks involving him to find a way through the Drumcree crisis are unlikely before the midafternoon, Mark Hennessy reports.<\/p>\n

Bryant hailed \u201cpositive conversations\u201d on Monday.<\/p>\n

I am grateful to all for the positive conversations about Drumcree today. Constructive dialogue is the route to a solution. I continue to hope and work for progress in further talks tomorrow.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Chris Bryant (@RhonddaBryant) September 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Jack White – 11 hours ago<\/p>\n

Bertie Ahern urged parties not to return to \u2018tribal past\u2019\"FormerFormer taoiseach Bertie Ahern urged political parties in Northern Ireland not to return to the ‘tribal past’. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw <\/p>\n

Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern has urged political parties in Northern Ireland not to return to the \u201ctribal past\u201d for the \u201cshort-term gain of winning of a few votes\u201d, saying they would regret it by the end of next year.<\/p>\n

Speaking on Tuesday morning as the Drumcree stand-off entered its third day, Ahern noted that the dispute over the Orange Order parade on Garvaghy Road \u201cnever finished\u201d after the Good Friday agreement and the focus should be to \u201cbring it to an end finally\u201d by means of a resolution.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think really what we need to try and do is everybody calm down a bit. I think the First Minister and Deputy First Minister should have coffee or tea this morning and try and mend this because otherwise it\u2019s a disaster because it will affect the institutions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ahern said Northern Ireland was now the fasted and strongest growth area for employment and investment across the UK, which the Executive \u201cshould be proud of\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I really think if the parties believe for an election in six or eight months\u2019 time, there\u2019s some short-term gain of winning a few votes based on going back to the tribal past, I would really caution against that. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey will regret that by the end of next year,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

The next Stormont election is expected in May 2027.<\/p>\n

Speaking on RT\u00c9 Radio\u2019s Morning Ireland, Ahern added he remembered \u201cpainfully\u201d how several parades were mediated after 1998 and \u201csorted out based on the fact that we made progress\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it could open all that up and there\u2019s an awful risk of that and we should not let that happen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Once the Parades Commission made its determination, \u201ceverything was too quick\u201d, Ahern added, noting the High Court came to a decision at 2.30am on Sunday, hours before the parade was due to take place.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I think the whole thing was choreographed far too tight, far too dangerous, and I think with the inevitability of what happened,\u201d he said, referencing the resulting fallout.<\/p>\n

Jack White – 12 hours ago<\/p>\n

Drumcree stand-off enters third day\"ResidentsResidents of the Garvaghy Road pictured on Monday. Photograph: Reuters\/Cathal McNaughton <\/p>\n

Garvaghy Road is quiet this morning, following another night when hundreds of people stayed to deter any possibility the Orange Order\u2019s march along the road could go ahead, Mark Hennessy reports.<\/p>\n

Throughout the evening and night, the atmosphere was calm, with no sign of a presence by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). The nearest solitary squad car \u2013 not an armoured Land Rover \u2013 was hundreds of yards away.<\/p>\n

Maintaining spirits, tea and sandwiches were given out free to residents and supporters, some of whom have come from south of the Border, while musicians played near tents erected near the junction where the road turns off for Drumcree.<\/p>\n

Reporting back to residents on Monday afternoon following his meeting with the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Chris Bryant, local residents\u2019 leader, Breand\u00e1n Mac Cionnaith urged people to stand firm.<\/p>\n

Significantly, the residents\u2019 group met separately with Bryant from Sinn F\u00e9in, and relations between the two sides have been prickly \u2013 with Sinn F\u00e9in doing much to stay on side with them.<\/p>\n

Talks in Hillsborough are expected to resume later today after the Northern Ireland Secretary returns from the Labour Party annual conference in Manchester, though signs of likely compromise are few.<\/p>\n

Last night, Bryant said he could \u201csee a way through the mist\u201d, but few others do, for now. <\/p>\n

The residents are insisting on the appointment of an international mediators, while the Orange wants a written guarantee that its permission to march continues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Main PointsThe standoff in Portadown has entered a third day despite efforts by Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":639860,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[73902,42,3659,43,18254,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-639859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-chris-bryant","tag-headlines","tag-michelle-o-neill","tag-news","tag-orange-order","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=639859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639859\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/639860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=639859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=639859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=639859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}