Drumcree talks end without agreement, appeal due Monday

Talks between the Orange Order and the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition ended without agreement late Thursday at Hillsborough Castle, leaving a dispute over a proposed parade through Garvaghy Road unresolved. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant said the discussions covered several possible ways forward, but the parties reached no settlement. The residents’ legal appeal against the Parades Commission’s decision to permit the march, which had been due to be heard Friday, was postponed until Monday to allow more time for talks. The Court of Appeal hearing is expected to consider the residents’ challenge to the commission’s determination. No ruling has been reported, and the parade’s eventual status remains uncertain. The Orange Order wants to use the Garvaghy Road route, while residents oppose the march. The commission allowed 35 participants to walk the route, subject to an 8 a.m. start. The route had been barred since 1998. The parade did not proceed on Sunday, September 27, after protesters blocked the road. Bryant said the options discussed included mediation, respecting the right to march without exercising it, and a final march followed by no further applications.