Members of Portadown Orange Lodge held a prayer service at police lines The annual Orange Order parade at Drumcree in Portadown has passed without incident. Orangemen have been banned since 1998 from going down the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown after their annual march from Drumcree church. After a service at Drumcree Church, about 300 Orangemen and two bands walked to a police gate at the bottom of the hill. Incoming Parades Commission chairwoman Rena Shepherd watched the march. Ms Shepherd, who replaces Roger Poole later this month, said she hoped to resolve the dispute by next year. She crossed the police line for an impromptu meeting with the Orangemen and promised to discuss the situation with them. Police chief inspector Jason Murphy said it was... [read full story]
