After 28 years free from the public eye, the Drumcree parade dispute reappeared in headlines after the recent ruling from the Parades commission. This allowed the loyalist Orange Order to march the infamous Garvaghy road in Portadown, County Armagh in the North of Ireland.
The fallout after the disallowance of the 1998 march resulted in a tragedy, in which Richard Quinn (11), Patrick Quinn (9), and Jason Quinn (8) lost their lives in an arson attack on their home in Ballymoney, County Antrim. In the wake of the 1998 parade, William Bingham of the Orange Order spoke on the tragedy stating “No road is worth a life, let alone the lives of three little boys”.
Despite the pouring rain on the 27th of September 2026, protesters arrived in bus loads to show support for the residents of the Garvaghy road and, in a way, nationalist’s culture as a whole.
Although being labelled as a peaceful protest, exchanging guns and petrol bombs for flags and posters, it may still have similar consequences of the catastrophic damage suffered by many generations in the, appropriately named, ‘Troubles’ in the later decades of the 1900s.
Due to the troubled history regarding the Drumcree parade route, the protest of hundreds gathered to barricade the road and stop the march from happening. In the end, the protest was successful and ultimately shed light on the underlying truth that we have been at a standstill in Northern Irish politics.
But, we now may be on the precipice for real, necessary change. As the protest continued later into the day, an impromptu, traditional Irish musical session took place, as the Mary Wallopers performed for an emerging crowd in celebration of the battle won. Traditional Irish music has been widely popularised in recent years.
It’s hard to separate what happened on the Garvaghy road from the wider trend of Fontaines D.C., Guinness, and Claddagh-themed merchandise saturating the market.
As someone who is proud to be Irish, the surge in popularity of Irish culture can invoke a strange thought. Many believe that by wearing a Claddagh ring or by simply ordering a Guinness at their local pub, they have cracked the code as to what it is to be Irish. However, with simplified ideals of our traditions, language, and culture.
Despite this oversimplification of what Irish culture entails, Trinity College Dublin recently published a study, finding that 73% of adults under 35 expressed a strong desire to strengthen their Irish language skills. This could be due to the largely influential artists, like Kneecap, CMAT and Fontaines D.C.
Through the inclusion of their native Irish tongue in their songs, these artists are aiding in the fight to bring a dead language back to life and reclaiming the most important thing: culture. In the end, the protest did remain peaceful. Although, the fear of a re-emergence of paramilitary groups and violent outbreak is felt throughout households.
Despite the tragedies of the Troubles being before mine and many of my peers’ lifetimes, its lasting effects are more embedded in our culture than ever before. Growing up, hearing stories from friends and family of bomb threats on the streets, civilian shootings, and police violence feels much further in the past than merely three decades.
Sharing these stories and truly understanding the impact paramilitary violence can have on an inter-generational scale begs the question: Is this fight worth the thousands of lives lost? Additionally, are opposing religious beliefs truly enough to start a war? In 1969 they were, with sectarian violence ruling the North of Ireland for 30 years.
As time passes, so does hope for a state of true peace, as memories are shared and scars are reopened in hope of a union between the North and the Free State.