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# Garvaghy Road: Situation On The Ground Sunday Night
- URL: https://aontachtmedia.ie/garvaghy-road-situation-on-the-ground-sunday-night/
- Published: 2026-09-28T13:07:47.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-28T13:07:47.000Z
- Description: Garvaghy Road residents declare victory as they win against the entire British state apparatus, the courts and the PSNI, as well as the forces of loyalism which continue to try strip Ireland of its sovereignty. Long live the 32-county socialist republic!
- Author: Editor
- Tags: News

For the situation up to last night, Saturday, see [here](https://aontachtmedia.ie/garvaghy-road-situation-on-the-ground-tonight/). 

Last night in an unprecedented decision the Orange Order were granted a midnight appeal against the injunction preventing them from marching down the Garvaghy Road, overturning the earlier injunction granted to the Garvaghy residents earlier in the evening. Lady Chief Justice Dame Shiobhan Keegan ruled that the initial judge “erred in law” and the challenge by residents was thrown out by the High Court in the early hours of Sunday morning, effectively clearing the way for the parade to proceed. Again, the question needs to be asked, why now after 28 years are authorities in the north seemingly hell bent on reinstating a state of affairs that in its final years led to 21 deaths and may compromise the so-called “peace process” irreparably? 

![](https://aontachtmedia.ie/content/images/2026/09/data-src-image-198b079a-f24c-47bb-959b-f21faa675551.jpeg)

*Cars Blocking The Road At The Blockade*

**Key points:** 

Despite this all, the march did not take place as scheduled. 

- A mass blockade of thousands of people on the Garvaghy road effectively prevented any march to take place. Residents were joined by supporters from across the island who travelled from as far away as Cork, in heavy rain, preventing the Orange Order from leaving Drumcree Church.
- The standoff delayed the scheduled 8am start and authorities put word out that if it didn't start by 9.30AM that it would be called off, this was fictitious information given to the crowd and resulted in some supporters from the republic returning home, however when the truth was revealed, hundreds more joined the blockade and some of those who left at the time are making their way back up.
- As of Sunday evening the Orangemen remain at Drumcree Church and the parade has still not passed down the road, the blockade remains in spite of PSNI threats of arrest. The PSNI have repeatedly told the Orange Order that they would not be able to march down the road due to the blockade.
- The PSNI used loudspeakers to warn protesters on the blockade that they were liable for arrest. Armoured vehicles and riot squads are now in the area.
- The GRRC’s Breandán MacCionnaith has instructed people to sit down and link arms if the PSNI attempt to remove them, and they have reportedly now refused to continue in “pointless negotiation" with the PSNI.
- Footage has emerged of the PSNI halting and searching cars accusing the drivers of being suspected of “terrorism”.

**The political response**

Many politicians north and south have attended the protest including Sinn Féin’s leaders Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O’Neill. 

![](https://aontachtmedia.ie/content/images/2026/09/data-src-image-662bfd18-b684-4f1d-b41f-f88f42ed6ada.jpeg)

*Michelle O’Neil and Mary Lou McDonald Speaking to Media.* 

First Minister Michelle O’Neill condemned the ruling as “disgraceful” stating that the march was “steeped in a history of hate, sectarian violence, and murder” she stated that “there is no going back. Not tomorrow, not ever” she backed “the right of the Garvaghy Road residents to protest against this unwanted sectarian march” and said the situation “brings into question how this whole peace process works” while Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald called the decision “ utterly reckless” and said residents had come out “to defend their right to live free from sectarian harassment. 

However one person who attended the protest stated “so many lessons to be learned from this, we got a catholic first minister and her only option to stop this terrorist march was to stand there alongside the men in ballys against the statelet. Take whatever opinion you want of shinners but it's becoming increasingly clear to everyone that sectarianism isn't ending peacefully, that the entire security strategy in the north is to keep it in a perpetual state of this hell. The border poll is also “off the table”. This encapsulates a lot of the feeling on the ground. People were critical of Sinn Féin, but appreciated their support.

![](https://aontachtmedia.ie/content/images/2026/09/data-src-image-fd7428d8-c11e-48e2-b533-4c7e138b59cc.jpeg)

*Paul Murphy at The Blockade With Other Protestors*

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy also attended to support and called it an “absolutely outrageous and inexplicable decision of the parades commission backed up then by the courts to say that it's ok for the Orange Order to march down here” 

He went on to talk about the fact that 21 people were killed there. “There was a woman here earlier whos 12 year old son was killed, we were told about a house where 3 young boys were killed in an arson attack” 

Communist Party of Ireland member Colm Laighneach, who protested the Orange March way back in 1998 spoke to Aontacht in [a video that can be seen here](https://vm.tiktok.com/ZN8rPDeXA/?ref=aontachtmedia.ie) and stated “We are rallying here against fascism, and in support of international solidarity with the oppressed people of Ireland, who have faced Fascist supremacism for hundreds of years, that's why we are here, were here for humanity” he went on to state that the good friday agreement is “not an agreement it is an imposition on the people of Ireland" and stated that the way forward “is for national liberation, for socialism, for peoples democracy that can provide rights to all of the people in Ireland, particularly to the working class who create all of the wealth within this country” 

Aontacht Media also undertook [interviews](https://www.instagram.com/aontacht.media/?ref=aontachtmedia.ie) with the Peadar O’Donnell Socialist Republican Forum, with the Connolly Youth Movement, with the Irish Republican Socialist Party and with the Garvaghy Road Residents’ Association. AIA, Lasair Dhearg, Conradh na Saoirse Náisiúnta (CSN) Ireland and countless other groups were present. There must have been around 5,000 people in total. 

"Troughout the day we stood with the crowds; we linked arms with strangers when ready to face off with the RUC. The community passed around food and water, expecting no payment but were simply happy to help. The solidarity and community organising we witnessed on the Garvaghy road was intelligent, courageous, and outstanding. As crowds drowned out the announcements from the crown forces with “SSRUC” on a road that had been cleared from RUC presence for over 2 days, a revolutionary republican tone was in the air that can be achieved again with the right organising, " the CSN said in a statement to *Aontacht Media*.

## On the loyalist end, the reaction was as you would expect 

DUP Leader Gavin Robinson accused Michelle O’Neal of “breaking the law” and stated her duty as First Minister was to “uphold lawful decisions, not inflame opposition to them” remembering nothing of his own parties history. 

Meanwhile UUP Leader Jon Burrows stated that the people blocking the Garvaghy Road “should be investigated by police". 

![](https://aontachtmedia.ie/content/images/2026/09/data-src-image-0a918ca1-9160-45ec-b98b-62c7202186ee.jpeg)

*Protestors Congregating Earlier.* 

## **The status as it stands**

As it stands, the blockade holds and people are still arriving. Buses have now been organised from Donegal and Derry and the feeling on the ground is that this will be held for as long as it needs to be held. It has been said that the Orange Orders permission expires at midinight, however if this is the case or another rouse, only time will tell. Those currently at the blockade have made it clear however, that they will be there for as long as it takes. 

![](https://aontachtmedia.ie/content/images/2026/09/data-src-image-100c7b41-8e5d-455b-bb17-568832f241e5.jpeg)

*Garvaghy protestors link arms in the dark* 

Shortly after midnight, Breandán Mac Cionnaith from the Garvaghy Road Residents’ Coalition declared they had secured a “victory”. He had further stated that after this, the task is now to take on Orangeism in altogether and stop them permanently, and ensure nothing like this can ever happen again. Mr MacCionnaith will be meeting Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant and PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher this morning for talks on the Drumcree parade.

0:00 

/1:28 

1× 

Schools remain closed for Monday. 

*Photo credit for politicians' pictures to their own respective social medias. Other photos are Aontacht originals.*