David Trimble: mediator who ‘definitely did not dance on Garvaghy Road’

Mr Jones, who served as Portadown District secretary for almost 14 years, had regular contact with the then MP for Upper Bann when the parading dispute erupted in July 1995.

Along with Rev Ian Paisley, David Trimble was a frequent visitor to Drumcree Parish Church during mass demonstrations and confrontations with police – in protest against a government decision to prevent the annual pre-Twelfth Drumcree Sunday church parade along the Garvaghy Road.

“He was very much involved with the protests at that time, both being out at Drumcree and acting as an intermediary for other people,” Mr Jones said.

“He worked closely with us then and got a lot of flak afterwards.

“He knew the feeling of the brethren that were out there on the hill, and he knew what he could do and what he couldn’t do.

“He quickly learned, as we all did, that there was going to be an impasse, because there was only one side that was trying to get it resolved. The GRRC (Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition) obviously felt that it had already been resolved and that there was nothing more they needed to do.”

No Orange parade has been allowed on the Garvaghy Road since 1997.

Mr Jones added: “He tried his best and there were TV pictures of him out there at Drumcree [Parish Church] in the graveyard at times, particularly when the police went into the graveyard.

“So he was very much there to try to resolve matters, and tried to bring them to an end. But, as we know, the protest is still alive and well because there hasn’t been any resolution brought to it.”

Mr Jones said subsequent claims that Trimble and Paisley “danced down the Garvaghy Road,” arms aloft in celebration, when the 1995 parade eventually got the go-ahead, are “clearly untrue”.

He also said he was present when Trimble and Paisley joined the parade much closer to the town centre for the short walk to the Orange Hall at Carleton Street.

“Unfortunately [Trimble] was then castigated by the fact that in Carleton Street he walked along Rev Ian Paisley hand in hand, even thought it is one of those urban myths that the two of them did that down the Garvaghy Road,” he said.

“Anybody who knows the area looks at the film they can clearly see it was Carleton Street.

“In fact, neither David Trimble or Rev Ian Paisley paraded down the Garvaghy Road that day.”

Mr Jones said Trimble was “well accepted by the Orangemen, and by all the people at that time, for having tried to play his part,” and added: “And they did get it resolved up to a point at that time but, unfortunately, as the years went on, the situation that pertained then didn’t continue until the present day.”

READ: David Trimble’s anger at manipulated video made to look like a ‘jig’