The Troubles in Portadown

Security barriers blocking entrance to Portadown town centre in 1982

This article recounts the violence and other effects related to The Troubles in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Much of it has been related to the Drumcree parade dispute.

Overview

Portadown is located in an area known during the troubles as the "murder triangle"[1] because of the high number of killings carried out by paramilitary organisations. The town is the site of an annual parade in July by an ex-serviceman's lodge of the Orange Order, from St Mark's Church in the town centre, where participants lay wreaths at the war memorial. Participants then marched to Drumcree Church through the predominantly nationalist Obins Street (also known as the "Tunnel" area because of an underground walkway connecting it to a higher level at the bottom of Fowler's Entry/Mary Street/John Street). In the 1970s and 1980s residents of the Obins Street area objected to the Orange marches, claiming they were triumphalist and arguing that they marked them as being second-class citizens.[2][3]

The Orange 'church parade' through Obins Street was rerouted in the mid-1980s [4] through the then lesser populated but nearby area of Garvaghy Road. In the interim fresh housing stock built on the former McGredy's Rose fields on the Garvaghy Road was occupied by a cross-section of families from both persuasions but slum clearance in Obins Street meant that many of the Catholic residents were relocated to the new housing. Following sectarian intimidation between both communities in various estates in the town, the Garvaghy Road estates became almost 100% Catholic.

The parade was one of three which had been staged by the Orange Order to march through the Tunnel and was the scene of rioting from as early as 1873. In the modern troubles this flashpoint became the source of confrontation between the Catholics of the Tunnel area and Protestants from neighbouring Edgarstown, often exacerbated by men from other areas within the town reinforcing the numbers on either side. On several occasions in the 1970s this resulted in gun battles between the Royal Ulster Constabulary and locals.[4][5] See "Two Hundred Years in the Orange Citadel" here.

Areas of interest and flashpoints

During the late 1960s and up to the mid-1970s the Edgarstown and Obins Street areas were separated only by a wasteland which had formerly been railway lines and the railway marshalling and repair facility which had dominated the area for many years. Civil engineering projects such as new roads and housing eventually covered this area but in the interim it became a venue for civil disturbance between the rival factions of the two areas, who would clash on the site.

Loyalists

Portadown is a predominantly Protestant town and ancestral home of the Orange Order. Other loyalist organisations were strongly represented in the town during the Troubles such as: the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF). A separate splinter group was later formed out of the Mid-Ulster UVF, the leader of which was Billy Wright (known by the press as "King Rat"), who was resident in the Rectory Park Estate prior to his period of imprisonment at HMP Maze during which he was assassinated. The Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) was formed in 1996; due to the views held by Wright, his old counterparts in the UVF placed a death threat on his head. This view towards him was also held by the mainstream UDA and UFF. The only allies Wright and the LVF had, was the support of a small section of the UFF based on the Shankill Road in Belfast. Johnny Adair was the leader of C Company UFF, part of the West Belfast Brigade. Both these groups lost their support quickly and were almost defunct by 2007.

Wright who was shot dead by the INLA in December 1997 was later replaced by his sidekick Mark "Swinger" Fulton, who later committed suicide in prison. The feud between the UVF and LVF lasted for many years after Wright's killing, with the result of many innocent people such as Protestant teenagers Andrew Robb and David McIlwaine becoming victims. There were also high profile members of the UVF that suffered, such as the commander at the time: Richard Jameson. Loyalists ran a social club in the former Summerson's Cinema in Bridge Street for several years during the early part of the Troubles, before it was closed down by the police.

The police and military

Police

The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) initially had two stations in the town; one at the "Tunnel" entrance to Obins Street and the other at Edward Street. The former closed in the 1950s and the latter remained the main centre of police operations throughout the Troubles but is now reduced to part-time as the police presence has been transferred to the Mahon Road complex.

Army

Portadown had no regular army presence but maintained a small Territorial Army base at Charles Street (known as "Charlies Walls") which housed HQ Company of the 4th Battalion Royal Irish Rangers. Although this did house small numbers of troops in the early part of the Troubles the main military presence was from units based outside Portadown, such as Kitchen Hill Barracks in Lurgan. The formation of the 11th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment saw a small barracks being built on the Southern edge of town at Mahon Road on a greenfield site. This was dubbed "Fort Mahon" by the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) but was officially known as the Mahon Road Barracks.

Notable incidents in Portadown during the Troubles

1970s

1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979

1980s

1980
1981
1983
1985
1986
1988

1990s

1992
1993
1994
1997
1998
1999

References

  1. "Murder Triangle: Portadown", cain.ulst.ac.uk; accessed 6 October 2015.
  2. Mulholland, P. (1999), "Drumcree: a Struggle for Recognition", Irish Journal of Sociology, Vol. 9 (1999), pp. 5-30
  3. "Drumcree: a Struggle for Recognition", scribd.com; accessed 6 October 2015.
  4. 1 2 Garvaghy Road, cain.ulst.ac.uk; accessed 6 October 2015.
  5. http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/csc/reports/rituals4.htm
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Mulholland, Peter. Two-Hundred Years in the Citadel, scribd.com; accessed 6 October 2015.
  7. "100,000 Ulster Protestants assail Britain on takeover". Chicago Tribune, 29 March 1972.
  8. Darby, John. Intimidation in Housing. Chapter 8: Movements outside Belfast, Northern Ireland Community Relations Commission, 1974, cain.ulst.ac.uk; accessed 17 October 2015.
  9. The Troubles magazine, issue 14, p. 16
  10. 1 2 Bryan, Fraser, Dunn. Political Rituals: Loyalist Parades in Portadown. Part 3: Portadown and its Orange Tradition. Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN).
  11. Bryan, Dominic. Orange parades: the politics of ritual, tradition, and control. Pluto Press, 2000. p. 92.
  12. McKittrick, David. Lost Lives: The stories of the men, women and children who died as a result of the Northern Ireland Troubles. Random House, 2001. p. 219
  13. McKittrick, p. 225
  14. The Troubles magazine, issue 15, p. 66
  15. McCorry, Frank. Parish of Moyraverty. The Diocese of Dromore, Past and Present, lisburn.com; accessed 17 October 2015.
  16. McKittrick, p. 259
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 An Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland. Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN).
  18. McKittrick, p. 259
  19. McKittrick, p. 277
  20. The Troubles magazine, issue 19, p. 12
  21. McKittrick, p. 319
  22. The Troubles magazine, issue 19, pp. 33, 36
  23. McKittrick, p. 357
  24. The Troubles magazine, issue 21, p. 32
  25. McKittrick, pp. 385-86
  26. The Troubles (magazine), issue 22, p. 69
  27. McKittrick, pp. 486-487
  28. McKittrick, p. 518
  29. McKittrick, p. 528
  30. Johnston profile, cain.ulst.ac.uk; accessed 6 October 2015.
  31. McKittrick, p. 537
  32. McKittrick, p. 586
  33. McKittrick, p. 603
  34. McKittrick, p. 619
  35. McKittrick, p. 623
  36. McKittrick, p. 675
  37. Associated Press, 12 December 1976.
  38. McKittrick, p. 695
  39. McKittrick, p. 728
  40. McKittrick, pp. 791-792
  41. McKittrick, p. 838
  42. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bryan, Fraser, Dunn. Political Rituals: Loyalist Parades in Portadown. Part 4: 1985 & 1986. Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN).
  43. "Parades and Marches - Chronology 2: Historical Dates and Events". Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN). Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  44. BBC, 25 March 1999, Inquiry call after murder acquittal
  45. Death of Robert Hamill, RelativesforJustice.com; accessed 6 October 2015.
  46. Amnesty International, 1 October 1999, "The Sectarian Killing of Robert Hamill", AI Index: EUR 45/031/1999.
  47. The Terms of Reference were outlined as follows; To inquire into the death of Robert Hamill with a view to determining whether any wrongful act or omission by or within the Royal Ulster Constabulary facilitated his death or obstructed the investigation of it, or whether attempts were made to do so; whether any such act or omission was intentional or negligent; whether the investigation of his death was carried out with due diligence; and to make recommendations.Robert Hamill Inquiry
  48. Robert Hamill Inquiry
  49. Cory Collusion Inquiry Report
  50. Chronology of the Conflict: February 1998. Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN).
  51. McKittrick, p. 1471
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