The march, which in the 1990s sparked some of the most serious disorder in Northern Ireland's history, will go ahead on Sunday after a series of legal challeng…

The parade (pictured above in 2018 on a 20th anniversary protest) had been halted due to a temporary injunction being granted at the High Court in Belfast

Published26 September 2026

A controversial Orange Order parade is set to go ahead on Sunday morning in a nationalist part of Northern Ireland for the first time in nearly 30 years

Following a series of legal challenges, the High Court ruled in the early hours of Sunday that an initial decision by the Parades Commission to allow the march in Portadown to take place had to be respected

The Drumcree parade, which in the 1990s sparked some of the most serious disorder in Northern Ireland's history, had been given permission to go ahead along the Garvaghy Road with restrictions in place

However that decision was challenged in several Belfast courts on Saturday, before finally being given the go ahead just hours before it is due to take place

In a hearing concluding at 02:15 BST on Sunday morning, Justice Michael Humphreys acknowledged the "unusual if not unprecedented circumstances... with a parade due to begin in just over six hours' time"

Delivering his judgement, Justice Humphreys said: "This court cannot substitute its own view or anyone else's view for that of the commission."

Northern Ireland's most senior judge, Lady Chief Justice Siobhan Keegan, similarly described the situation as "unprecedented"