The Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition has described a proposed St Patrick's Night celebration by the Orange Order in Portadown, Co Armagh, as a deliberate attempt to provoke trouble. The coalition says the event, due to take place at Corcrain Orange Hall, has been deliberately chosen because of its proximity to the nationalist Garvaghy Road and Obins Street. They also say the majority of residents living close to the Orange Hall are Catholic.
The Residents' Coalition said a similar gathering last year, the night before the funeral of murdered Lurgan solicitor Rosemary Nelson, sparked off two nights of intense rioting in which a number of people were injured. A spokesperson said "If the Orange Order were sincere about celebrating St Patrick's Day, they could have held this event at one of several other Orange Halls." The Orange Order press officer, Mr David Jones, said: "We are simply celebrating St Patrick with a night of Irish music and traditional food."
