Village life in Dunloy had been as normal as ever on Tuesday night - that was the scary thing about it. The men were at home or in the bars cheering Brazil in the World Cup semi-final. The women were at bingo and there was a GAA match in the field up the road.
The Orangemen seemed to come from nowhere. About 1,000 of them blocked three roads into the village, say residents. They laid siege for nearly three hours.
In a statement the Co Antrim Grand Lodge said its members had "taken up positions" and "held" the village. During the three-hour blockade, the Orangemen sang loyalist songs and cheered. Many were wearing sashes.
"We were very worried," said Mr Paddy O'Kane, chairman of the Dunloy Residents' and Parents' Association. "We didn't know what they would do next. We thought they might attack the village."
About 1,000 people live in Dunloy but, allowing for women and children, the loyalists had numbers on their side. "We thought we were going to have to fight to defend our homes," said another man who did not want to be named.
"People looked around their houses for anything they could lay their hands on. It was very tense. We watched the loyalists from Main Street. We weren't going to rely on the RUC if it got violent. The people of Dunloy know they have to look after themselves."
Many of the men in the village stood at their front doors armed with hurleys, ready for action if necessary.
"There were old people who have never seen violence in their lives except on television who were very terrified. And there were plenty not so old scared too," said Mr O'Kane.
Dunloy has not exactly the best location for a Catholic village. It is bang in the middle of Bible belt north Antrim, stronghold of the Orange Order and the DUP. It is surrounded by three big Protestant towns - Ballmena, Ballymoney and Coleraine.
It is a small, closely-knit community where Gaelic games and line-dancing are the two of the most popular pastimes. A Tricolour flies proudly from a flagpole in the town. Republican graffiti adorn some walls.
The village is overwhelmingly Catholic. A handful of Protestants live on the outskirts. The Orange Hall in Dunloy has been well battered by missiles. Corrugated iron and sheets of steel protect the windows and doors.
For years the order marched from the Orange Hall to the Presbyterian Church in Dunloy via Main Street. Two years ago, the residents objected.
Loyalists picketed the Catholic Church in Harryville, Ballymena, 10 miles away in protest. Last month Dunloy residents allowed an Orange parade to the Presbyterian Church, albeit via a route that took it away from Main Street.
"I don't think residents will allow them to march again," said Paddy O'Kane's brother Charlie, a former SDLP councillor. "Our generosity was thrown right back in our faces.
"It is a joke for the Orange Order to say it stands for civil and religious liberty. They just hate Catholics. They came to Dunloy to intimidate us."
Under pressure from the RUC, the Orangemen dispersed after three hours. The mood in Dunloy yesterday was defiant.
"OK, they flexed their muscles," said Paddy O'Kane, "but we are more determined than ever."
A young nationalist was even more militant: "It will be a long time before Orange feet march in Dunloy again. Seamus Mallon was on the Garvaghy Road probably urging a compromise.
"Well, if he or anybody else comes to Dunloy and tells us to let the Orange Order down Main Street, they'll be thrown in the Main River."