Garvaghy Road standoff brings Northern Ireland’s old wounds back to surface

Orange Order march revives tensions in Northern Ireland’s Portadown Portadown, Northern Ireland – On the Garvaghy Road in Northern Ireland, residents have spent days gathering to stand guard in their community. They have linked arms and blocked their road, preparing to stop a Protestant Orange Order parade from attempting to march through this predominantly Catholic area for the first time in 28 years. Some pitched tents. Others brought food and stayed through the night, keeping watch. “We’ll be here as long as we have to be,” said one local woman, who asked not to be identified for fear of violent reprisals. “I’ve seen the fighting when those Orangemen come along here, and I’m not having it back here – none of us are.