Drumcree

Years of confrontation have made the word 'Drumcree' internationally synonymous with the worst aspects of the Northern Ireland conflict. The crisis was sparked in the summer of 1995 as the small market town of Portadown became the scene of a violent stand-off between the local lodges of the Protestant Orange Order and the Catholic residents of the Garvaghy Road -- route of the Orange marchers' traditional parade after their church service at Drumcree. This first showdown set the pattern for the confrontations that have followed every year since in the town that has been described as the 'Vatican of Orangeism', and the repercussions have spread far beyond.