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 predominately 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). There are records of violent attacks on the Catholics in this area by members and supporters of the 'Orange boys' (later the Orange Order) dating as far back as June - July 1795.^[2] 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. A local anthropologist has argued that the Orange parades perpetuate sectarian discrimination and violence against Catholics while also denying them their basic human rights^[2][3][4]

The Orange 'church parade' through Obins Street was rerouted in the mid-1980s ^[5] 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 and 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.^[5][6] See 'Two Hundred Years in the Orange Citadel' at http://orangecitadel.blogspot.com/

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, which became predominantly Protestant through polarisation.
• Redmanville/Corcrain: two estates built over several decades on the western edge of the town with a very mixed population which by and large managed to avoid 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 from 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. A 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. Becoming mainly Catholic in the early to mid-1970s, the Protestants who were domiciled there were largely intimidated out and relocated to housing vacated by Catholic families in Protestant estates such as Killcomaine, where intimidation forced Catholics out.
• Rectory Park: A Protestant estate on the outskirts of the town, seen its fair share of trouble during the 1980s and 90s. The stand-off of the late 80s 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 heavy rioting inside the estate. The strong UDA presence in the estate brought further violence during the late 90s, with the Drumcree conflict. Roads were once again barricaded, both on Northway and Brownstown Road. The British Army and RUC came under great pressure and even had to re-route there forces out to Drumcree. Rectory Park was also the home for two LVF Leaders: Billy Wright and Mark 'Swinger' Fulton.

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, (The North Irish Militia). 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

1972

• 12 July - Jack McCabe (48), a Catholic civilian, and William Cochrane (53), Protestant civilian, were shot dead by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA)

1978

• 8 March - Thomas Trainor (29), an Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) volunteer, and Denis Kelly (31), a Catholic civilian, were killed by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) with shots fired from a passing motorcycle shortly after leaving the Department of Health and Social Services office, Jervis Street, Portadown.^[7]

1979

• 13 March - Robert McNally, a Protestant Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) soldier, was killed by an INLA booby-trap bomb. First recorded use of a mercury tilt device by the INLA.^[8]

1985

• 3 July - Thousands of Loyalists demonstrated against a proposed Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) decision to re-route a church parade away from the 'Tunnel' (the Catholic Obins Street) area. On 6 July 1985, the RUC decided to allow a church parade through the area, but imposed a ban on similar marches on the 12 and 13 July, resulting in serious clashes in Portadown between Nationalist protesters and police on 7 July as the parade of 2,500 Orangeman, passed through the Catholic Obins Street. Eight policemen were injured and three people were arrested. On 12 and 13 July there was further rioting in Portadown, this time between Loyalists and the RUC, as the Orange Order and Black Institution parades were re-routed from the 'Tunnel' area. In total 52 policemen were injured and 43 people were arrested during these two days of rioting.^[9]

1986

• 31 March - Tom King, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, announced his decision to ban the Apprentice Boys Easter Monday Parade, resulting in rioting in Portadown and other parts of the North. Despite the Secretary of State's ruling, about 400 Apprentice Boys attempted to parade through Portadown, leading to clashes with police and soldiers and rioting. Meanwhile about 3,000 Loyalists, led by Ian Paisley, had assembled in protest at Garvaghy Road and police were attacked there also. Sporadic rioting continued for several days.^[9]

• 3 July - The RUC allowed an Orange Church parade to pass through the Catholic Obins Street area, but banned the 12 and 13 July parades from doing so. Three days later rioting broke out when police prevented George Seawright, a Loyalist politician, from passing through the 'Tunnel' area. On 11 July, the Portadown Orangemen accepted a compromise offered by the RUC to march along the Garvaghy Road route. This resulted in a weekend of violence, with casualties including 128 police injuries, 66 civilian injuries and 127 arrests. The riots continued in Belfast and Portadown for six consecutive nights.^[9]

1993

• 22 May - The Provisional IRA exploded a 1,000 lb bomb in Portadown town centre, after a telephoned warning. Six people were wounded and an estimated £8 million damage caused.^[10]

1997

• 27 April - Robert Hamill (25), Gregory Girvan, Siobhan Girvan and Joanne Girvan, all Catholic civilians, were walking home through Portadown's main street when they were confronted by a gang of thirty loyalists. The men attacked Robert and Gregory,^[11] and (according to Amnesty International in their report The Sectarian Killing of Robert Hamill) the group continued to kick Hamill while he lay on the ground, shouting sectarian abuse such as "Die you Fenian bastard!". Hamill went into a coma and died in hospital on 8 May, while the Girvans survived.^[12] The report stated that four RUC officers sitting in their jeep about 20 feet from the attack did not intervene or come to help them.^[13] In November 2004, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Paul Murphy, announced the terms of reference^[14] for the inquiry into Robert Hamill's death.^[15] It has been suspected that RUC members have tried to protect the loyalists responsible. This was investigated by Peter Corry and a public inquiry is currently underway.^[16]

1998

• 23 February - A 300 lb car bomb exploded in Portadown town centre, after a telephoned warning. Many shops were badly damaged and two buildings were completely destroyed. There were no injuries in the explosion. It is believed that the Continuity IRA planted the bomb.^[17]

References