This article recounts the violence and other effects related to The Troubles in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, which lasted from the 1960s to 1998. Much of these events have been related specifically to the Drumcree parade dispute but relate more generally to the violence and conflict between the Protestant/Unionist/Loyalist majority and the Catholic/Nationalist/Republican minority within the town.
Overview Portadown is located in an area known during the troubles as the "murder triangle""Murder Triangle: Portadown", cain.ulst.ac.uk; accessed 6 October 2015. because of the high number of killings carried out by paramilitary organisations on both sides. The town is the site of an annual parade in July by an ex-servicemen's lodge of the Protestant Orange Order, from St Mark's Church in the town centre, where participants lay wreaths at the war memorial. Particularly since the nineteenth century, Protestant participants marched to Drumcree Church through the predominantly Catholic 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 the Catholics as being second-class citizens in Northern Ireland.Mulholland, P. (1999), "Drumcree: a Struggle for Recognition", Irish Journal of Sociology, Vol. 9 (1999), pp. 5-30"Drumcree: a Struggle for Recognition", scribd.com; accessed 6 October 2015.
The Orange parade leading to Drumcree Parish Church of Ireland originally passed through Obins Street but was rerouted in the mid-1980s Garvaghy Road, cain.ulst.ac.uk; accessed 6 October 2015. through the then lesser populated but nearby area of Garvaghy Road. It was an effort to forestall violence.
In the interim, however, fresh housing stock had been built on the former McGredy's Rose fields on the Garvaghy Road. It was occupied by a cross-section of families from both religious denominations. But slum clearance in Obins Street resulted in many Catholic residents being relocated to the new housing. Following sectarian intimidation by each of the religious/ethnic communities in various housing estates in the town, some residents moved and the Garvaghy Road estates became nearly 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, gun battles took place between the locals and the Royal Ulster Constabulary attempting to control the violence. See "Two Hundred Years in the Orange Citadel" here.
Areas of interest and flashpoints Edgarstown: a small Protestant enclave of Georgian terraced houses to the west of the town centre, scene of much rioting. Brownstown: initially a mixed estate, built postwar, slightly west of the town centre on the site of a former prisoner-of-war camp. It became predominantly Protestant through polarisation of the sects. Redmanville/Corcrain: two estates built over several decades on the western edge of the town had very mixed populations and largely avoided the ghettoisation of many of the town's other estates. Killicomaine: A largely Protestant estate on the northeastern edge of town. The few Catholics who did live here were intimidated and forced out of their homes during the worst of the Troubles. Edenderry: A largely Protestant urban area of mixed Georgian terraces and Victorian townhouses to the east of the River Bann. Part of this area was blocked off by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) but cleared during Operation Motorman. Obins Street: Also known as the Tunnel; running north west but linked to the town centre by Woodhouse Street and continuing onto the Dungannon Road. This was a largely Catholic enclave of terraced Georgian housing, much of which was demolished during "slum" clearances. The residents were decanted into new housing on the Garvaghy Road estates. Garvaghy Road: an area of new, mixed housing, running northwest of the town centre, built mainly on the site of the former "McGredy's Roses" growing area. This also takes in the earlier "Churchill Park" estate built by Portadown Borough Council prior to the formation of the "Northern Ireland Housing Executive". Both estates were filled by Protestants and Catholics who had been moved from "slum clearance" areas such as John Street, Mary Street, Fowlers Entry, West Street and Obins Street during the 1960s and early 1970s. As it became mainly Catholic in the early to mid-1970s, the Protestants mostly relocated to housing vacated by Catholic families in Protestant estates, such as Killicomaine, where similar intimidation had forced Catholics out. Rectory Park: A Protestant estate on the outskirts of the town that saw its fair share of trouble during the 1980s and 90s. The stand-off of the late 1980s between the Orangemen and RUC, over the latter's blocking the Orange Order from travelling along Obins Street to Corcrain, spilled the estate into violence. Members of the RUC were forced to leave their homes, and their counterparts faced extensive rioting inside the estate. The strong UDA presence in the estate brought further violence during the late 90s, catalyzed by the Drumcree conflict. Roads were once again barricaded, both on Northway and Brownstown Road. The British Army and RUC came under great pressure and had to re-route their forces to Drumcree. Rectory Park was also the home for two Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) Leaders: Billy Wright and Mark 'Swinger' Fulton. They had split from the paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force.
During the late 1960s and up to the mid-1970s, the Edgarstown and Obins Street areas were separated only by a wasteland. It had formerly been devoted to 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 were developed in this area but in the interim, it became a venue for civil disturbance between the rival factions of the two areas, who clashed 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, called the Loyalist Volunteer Force, the leader of this was called Billy Wright (known by the press as "King Rat"), who was resident in the Rectory Park Estate. He was later imprisoned at HMP Maze, where he was assassinated. The Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) had been formed in 1996; due to the views held by Wright, his old counterparts in the UVF had placed a death threat on his head. The mainstream UDA and UFF had also broken with Wright. The only allies Wright and the LVF had, was the support of a small section of the UFF based on 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 was shot dead by a member of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) in December 1997, rather than by loyalist competitors. He was later replaced by his sidekick Mark "Swinger" Fulton. Fulton was also convicted and imprisoned for terrorist acts; he committed suicide in prison. The feud between the UVF and LVF lasted for many years after Wright's murder. Many innocent people, such as Protestant teenagers Andrew Robb and David McIlwaine, became victims. Some high-profile members of the UVF also suffered attacks, 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 police.
The police and military Police The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) initially had two stations in Portadown; one at the "Tunnel" entrance to Obins Street and the other at Edward Street. The former closed in the 1950s. The latter remained the main centre of police operations throughout the Troubles. It has since been closed and the road block removed. Police operations have been transferred to the Mahon Road complex.
Military Portadown had no regular military 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. With the formation of the 11th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment, a small barracks was 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 it was officially known as the Mahon Road Barracks.
Notable incidents in Portadown during the Troubles
1970s 1972 11 March 1972: Thousands of loyalists attended an Ulster Vanguard rally in the town, which was addressed by Martin Smyth ('Grand Master' of the Orange Order) and the mayor of Portadown. After the rally, loyalists attacked the Catholic neighbourhood around Obins Street, known as "The Tunnel".Mulholland, Peter. Two-Hundred Years in the Citadel, scribd.com; accessed 6 October 2015. 27-29 March 1972: Ulster Vanguard organized a general strike in protest at the suspension of Stormont. Loyalists sealed-off and took control of Portadown. Catholic-owned businesses were attacked and looted, and the Tunnel district was said to be "under siege". During and following the strike, many families were forced out of their homes."100,000 Ulster Protestants assail Britain on takeover". Chicago Tribune, 29 March 1972.Darby, John. Intimidation in Housing. Chapter 8: Movements outside Belfast, Northern Ireland Community Relations Commission, 1974, cain.ulst.ac.uk; accessed 17 October 2015. 5 June 1972: There were sectarian clashes on Corcrain Road, Portadown. The British Army and RUC came under automatic fire from republicans. A youth was shot in the leg and five RUC officers were hurt in the clashes.The Troubles magazine, issue 14, p. 16 9 July 1972: Catholics sealed-off Obins Street with makeshift barricades to prevent Orangemen marching through the area. When British troops bulldozed the barricades, they were stoned by Catholic protesters. The troops responded by firing CS gas and rubber bullets.Bryan, Fraser, Dunn. Political Rituals: Loyalist Parades in Portadown. Part 3: Portadown and its Orange Tradition. Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN). Once the area was secured, the soldiers allowed the 1,200 Orangemen to march along the road, escorted by at least fifty masked and uniformed UDA members armed with clubs.Bryan, Dominic. Orange parades: the politics of ritual, tradition, and control. Pluto Press, 2000. p. 92. 12 July 1972: A Protestant civilian, Paul Beattie (19), was shot dead in Churchill Park. Assertions that he was in the UDA were denied by his family and the organisation. Hours later, a UDA member (and former police officer) shot dead two people in McCabe's Bar: the Catholic owner, Jack McCabe, and a Protestant patron, William Cochrane.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