Night of protest ends quietly after speeches of defiance

The demonstrators at Drumcree dispersed quietly early this morning after surrounding a massive bonfire at the barricade on the bridge at the bottom of the hill.

The bonfire, fed by rubber tyres, blazed for about 45 minutes against a 20-foot-high barricade erected by the security forces. Tapes of The Sash and other Orange music were played from cars in nearby fields.

About 300 people were there when the bonfire was lit. Earlier, some 600 had taken part in parades organised by lodges in south Antrim. Some fireworks were thrown at security personnel, but there were no serious incidents.

The crowd was addressed by the Grand Chaplin of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, the Rev Stephen Dickinson, who congratulated the Portadown Orangemen on the stance they had taken at Drumcree. He praised them for resisting all attempts at compromise, saying he was glad they had resisted attempts by the First Minister to split and divide the Orange Institution.

Mr Dickinson said that the decision by the Parades Commission to ban the marchers from going down the Garvaghy Road had "come out of the rottenness of the Belfast Agreement". He praised the Church of Ireland Rector of Drumcree, the Rev John Pickering, for his stance on the issue.

The Antrim County Master of the Orange Lodge, Mr Robert McElroy, referred to remarks made on Tuesday by the RUC Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, who had said that Orangemen were being "hurt" by the events at Drumcree.

Mr McElroy said that the Orange Institution had been "hurt by the RUC" when it had been blamed in connection with the deaths of the three Quinn children in Ballymoney, Co Antrim, during Drumcree 1998. This was something the order had "nothing whatever to do with".

Mr McElroy continued: "We want an apology. There are no roads in the six counties that should be blocked. They are the queen's highway. Traditional routes for people walking to and from church should never be closed.

This institution is not going to speak to Mr McKenna [Breandan Mac Cionnaith, of the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition] and the likes. We will make our stand for whatever time it takes, no matter how long it takes. One day we will walk down that road."

A parade due to take place from Derrycarne Orange Hall to Drumcree was blocked by the security forces earlier last night and a stand-off involving 70 Orangemen ensued until about 10 p.m.

Mr Johnny Adair, the former UDA prisoner, was at Drumcree again last night.