The days of unionist ‘supremacy’ are gone, says Northern Ireland's First Minister

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Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill’s remarks came as the stand-off continued over an attempt by the Orange Order to parade down Garvaghy Road in Portadown, a mainly Catholic neighbourhood.

The protesters who had blocked the parade on Sunday had largely dispersed early this morning ahead of fresh talks aimed at resolving the dispute.

Thousands had prevented 35 members of the Orange Order from marching down Garvaghy Road even though the parade had been given the green light by the Parades Commission, the independent body that regulates contentious marches in Northern Ireland, and cleared by the courts, for the first time since 1998.

Residents’ representative Breandan Mac Cionnaith told the crowd around midnight that commitments had been received that the march would not proceed overnight.

A small group of volunteers remained to monitor the road.

The Orangemen made another attempt to complete the procession at around 4am Monday morning before being stopped by a line of police vehicles.

Ms O’Neill declared Sunday’s blockade a “victory” for residents opposed to what she called sectarian intimidation.

Her presence at the blockade drew fierce Unionist criticism, with the pro-UK Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Gavin Robinson accusing her of breaking the law and breaching her ministerial pledge of office.

But the first minister told the Northern Ireland Assembly today that she was “incredibly proud” to be with the Garvaghy Road residents.

She told the Ulster Unionists: “May I invite you into 2026, the days of unionist supremacy and domination are gone.

The Orangemen had originally gathered before the parade’s scheduled departure on Sunday but were prevented from advancing because protesters blocked the route.

No violence, arrests or injuries were reported during the standoff, despite a major security operation involving armoured vehicles and riot police.

The Garvaghy Road had been part of the Drumcree route of the Orange Order Parade, but by the mid-1990s nationalist residents protested against the parade.

The row sparked some of the most serious public disorder in Northern Ireland’s history and was linked to several murders.

The row re-emerged after a court case in which a ruling by the Parades Commission — the organisation formed during the Drumcree dispute to decide on contentious marches during Northern Ireland’s parading season — was overturned.

On Friday, following 28 years of unsuccessful applications, the commission gave the green light to the parade albeit with restrictions in place.

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