Tale of two towns, the quiet waiting on the edge of Portadown town centre for a parade that didn't come
It was almost a tale of two towns in Portadown on Sunday morning, as Orange supporters gathered in near silence on the other end of the Garvaghy road from heated protests involving the first minister and other senior Sinn Fein figures.
Everything that was happening on the other side of the town at Drumcree Church and along the main road in between was being watched on phones by a crowd which had gathered on the edge of the town centre from early morning.
Driving into Portadown at the crack of dawn, all seemed normal. Other than a bit more traffic than you'd expect at seven on a Sunday morning - and police stopping vehicles heading towards the town centre - things were quiet.
However, in the town centre it quickly became clear that a large crowd was already gathering to welcome home the Orangemen of the Portadown District - who were due to complete the previously banned Garvaghy Road stretch of their traditional parade.
That was due to have reached the town centre by 9.30am. It quickly became clear that was not going to happen.
What was obvious from early morning was that the Orange Order's supporters intended to keep within the law.
Stewards from Portadown District in high-vis jackets were liaising with police, and by the time the parade was due to have left Drumcree Church, they were moving people away from the junction with the bottom of the Garvaghy Road, in order to comply with the Parades Commission's determination.
Crowds gathered where the Garvaghy Road runs on to Bridge Street, several people deep on either side of the road. Many also also gathered under the Northway bridge to get respite from the at times torrential rain.
It was remarkably quiet, no singing, chanting or music was being played.
Early on, stewards warned those gathered at the end of the road to move.
“Everyone gathered here is in breach of the determination. So can I ask everyone, quietly and peacefully, to walk back to Shillington’s” a steward told the crowd.
He instructed them to listen to a number of stewards, who were visible throughout the day – and were involved in constant liaison with the PSNI officers in that area.
“We are here to support the brothers from Portadown District, as thankfully after 28 years they will get down the road”, the steward said.
Had the parade gone ahead as the Parades Commission wanted it to, that’s what would have happened little more than an hour later.
By the time I left in the mid afternoon, there was still no sign. People had come and gone, but the crowd had remained steady and seemed to be growing after lunch.
The voices of Michelle O’Neill, Mary Lou McDonald and Breandán Mac Cionnaith could be heard from people’s phones – as could police warnings being issues to crowds at the other end of the road, through clips by the News Letter and our colleagues at the Portadown Times.
As the morning wore on, there was a growing frustration among a handful of supporters. As a steward reminded people they would need to move further up the road, there were cries from one bystander of:
"What about Sinn Féin? They can break the law - and we cant?"
However, he got little reaction from the crowd, who appeared willing to follow what they were being asked to do.
The crowd also listened intently as the local DUP MP Carla Lockhart, MLA Jonathan Buckley and Jamie Bryson held an impromptu press conference in bucketing rain.
Ms Lockhart took that opportunity to contrast those waiting for the parades return with the actions of the first minister.
“It is very clear we have a first minister who has went far beyond her remit in terms of the rule of law. It is fundamental that our democratic process works and that our leaders uphold the law.
“We have someone who is very clearly not upholding the law and leading people onto a street in an illegal gathering? So it's time for the first minister to step back, call for calm, remove the people off the road alongside the police –and let the 35 men who have a lawful decision down that road to return home to Carleton Street past this calm and peaceful gathering”.
Asked how long she would stay for, one woman said "we've waited 28 years, what's a few more hours or days?"
At the time of writing, the parade had not passed.