A Jesuit priest at Drumcree church

Fr Brendan McPartlin SJ was in an unexpected place this week when he joined Rev Gary Galway, rector of Drumcree Church of Ireland, for a prayer service in the church.

The visit came as tensions have again emerged around Drumcree and the Garvaghy Road, with a number of Orangemen and supporters continuing to gather on Drumcree Hill.

The dispute centres on an Orange Order parade from Drumcree Church through the predominantly nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown. The route became one of the most contentious parading disputes in Northern Ireland during the 1990s, with serious clashes and disorder surrounding the annual march. The Orange Order has not been permitted to march along the Garvaghy Road since 1997, with the Parades Commission imposing restrictions from 1998 onwards. This year, however, permission was granted for a limited parade, bringing the issue back into public attention and leading to renewed protests and tensions in the area.

The prayer service itself was separate from the ongoing dispute and followed recent meetings between clergy from different Christian traditions in the Portadown area.

Speaking to the Irish times Brendan said “I didn’t go to Drumcree with my priestly collar, and I confess I was a little bit nervous,” Fr Brendan said. “I hadn’t been inside the church before, but it was lovely.”

Fr Brendan, who has lived in Portadown since 2009, is one of two Jesuits based at the Iona Centre in Church Hill Park, just off the Garvaghy Road. Much of his work in recent years has focused on Portadown’s growing migrant community.

In 2009, he established the Migrant Support Service at the Mayfair Business Centre on the Garvaghy Road. The service has supported people from a wide range of countries, including Timor-Leste, Guinea-Bissau, Portugal and countries in Eastern Europe.

The changing population of Portadown means that many newer residents have little knowledge of the history behind the town’s Catholic-Protestant divisions or the long-running dispute over parades.

Fr Brendan has also become increasingly involved in conversations between local clergy. He believes that the current situation will require dialogue and some willingness on different sides to negotiate.

“I really don’t think you can make things work without negotiation,” he said. “You’ve got to make some compromises.”

For Fr Brendan, the recent prayer service at Drumcree is part of a wider effort to maintain contact between communities at a time when old tensions have resurfaced.

After more than 60 years as a Jesuit, his ministry in Portadown continues to involve working alongside local communities and responding to the changing needs of the town.