Drumcree Church is the parish church of Drumcree, a rural Church of Ireland parish to the north of Portadown in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. In recent times it has become noted for the Orange Order service held annually on the Sunday before 12 July. The service, or more precisely the Orangemen's parade both to and from the service, has been the catalyst for sectarian unrest between the Protestant paraders and the Catholic residents of the area. The Church of Ireland (Irish: ) is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating seamlessly across the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. ... Portadown (from the Irish: Port an Dúnáin meaning port of the fortress) is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Armagh Area: 1,254 km² Population (est. ... Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... Orange parade in Glasgow (1 June 2003) The Orange Institution, more commonly known as the Orange Order, is a Protestant fraternal organisation based predominantly in Northern Ireland and Scotland with lodges throughout the Commonwealth and in the United States. ... is the 193rd day of the year (194th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ...

The present church, known as The Church of the Ascension, was consecrated by the Bishop of Down and Dromore and Connor, Robert Brent Knox, on 28 October 1856. Its foundation stone was laid on 17 May 1855, which in that year was Ascension Day. is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... is the 137th day of the year (138th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1855 (MDCCCLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... For other meanings see Ascension (disambiguation) The Ascension is one of the great feasts in the Christian liturgical calendar, and commemorates the bodily Ascension of Jesus into Heaven forty days after his resurrection from the dead. ...

History of the site

Drumcree (Irish language: Droim Crí) is the name of the townland in which the church and the surrounding area are located. Its name means "ridge of the boundary", most likely referring to the River Bann[1]. The site has been used for Christian worship since the time of the Celts. The Irish Church parish of Drumcree was formed in 1110 comprising sixty-six townlands lying to the west of the Bann. In 1172, following the Synod of Cashel, Drumcree parish, together with the rest of the Irish Church, was subsumed by the Church of Rome. Historical records list the first vicar as David Macralagen. He died in 1414. The parish remained a Catholic entity until the Reformation in the mid 1500s. Percentage of Irish speakers by county of the Republic; the six Northern Ireland counties have been considered as one. ... A townland is a small geographical unit of land used in Ireland and Scotland, and believed to be of Gaelic or Goidelic origin. ... The River Bann is the largest river in Northern Ireland. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      A Christian () is a person who... This article is about the European people. ... The Church of Ireland which is part of the Anglican Communion, is the largest Protestant church on the island of Ireland, claims to be the most ancient Christian church within all Ireland, and is the second largest Protestant denomination in Northern Ireland. ... Events December 4 - First Crusade: The Crusaders conquer Sidon. ... Events Duke Richard of Aquitaine becomes Duke of Poitiers. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... // Events Council of Constance begins. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      For other uses, see...

It is unclear what happened to the church during the time of the Reformation, but a map of 1609 shows the church in ruins within the churchyard. Following the Ulster Plantation in 1610 a new church was built. This was described as "a plain stone building rough cast and whitewashed". // Events April 4 – King of Spain signs an edit of expulsion of all moriscos from Spain April 9 – Spain recognizes Dutch independence May 23 - Official ratification of the Second Charter of Virginia. ... The Plantation of Ulster was a planned process of colonisation which took place in the northern Irish province of Ulster during the early 17th century in the reign of James I of England. ... // Events January 7 - Galileo Galilei discovers the Galilean moons of Jupiter. ...

In 1812 a tower was built and in 1814 a church bell was installed. In 1826 the rector, Charles Alexander, had a new rectory built. Almost thirty years later, in 1854, it was decided to build a new church. The church so built is the one that stands today and is now the oldest church in Portadown. It occupies a position roughly the same as the former church. For the overture by Tchaikovsky, see 1812 Overture; For the wars, see War of 1812 (USA - United Kingdom) or Patriotic War of 1812 (France - Russia) For the Siberia Airlines plane crashed over the Black Sea on October 4, 2001, see Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 1812 was a leap year starting... Year 1814 (MDCCCXIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... The oldest surviving photograph, Nicéphore Niépce, circa 1826 1826 (MDCCCXXVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1854 (MDCCCLIV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

History of the present church

The Church of Ireland was disestablished in 1871 and as a result Drumcree lost most of its land, known as the Glebe Land. 1871 (MDCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1901 a new burial ground was established on the north side of the church. In the following year the Parochial Hall was built. A pipe organ was installed in the church in 1907 and a memorial to the Great War was built in 1921. A further burial ground known as the Terrace Burial Ground was created on the east side of the church in 1922. 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The baroque organ in Roskilde Cathedral, Copenhagen The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by admitting pressurized air (referred to as wind) through a series of pipes. ... Year 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ...

In more recent times a war memorial to commemorate those lost in World War II was erected in 1989. Then in 1992 major renovation work was carried out to repair the fabric of the building. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ...

Drumcree and the Orange Order

The Orange Order was founded in Portadown in 1795. The first Orange service to be held in Drumcree Church took place in 1807. At that time there was no parish church in the centre of Portadown and Drumcree was the nearest. Traditionally the Orangemen parade from the centre of Portadown, returning after the church service. The service and accompanying parades are held to commemorate the men of the 36th (Ulster) Division who died during the Battle of the Somme. 1795 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1807 (MDCCCVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar). ... The British 36th (Ulster) Division was a New Army division formed in September 1914. ... Combatants British Empire United Kingdom Australia Canada New Zealand Newfoundland South Africa France German Empire Commanders Douglas Haig Joseph Joffre Max von Gallwitz Fritz von Below Strength 13 British and 11 French divisions (initial) 51 British and 48 French divisions (final) 10½ divisions (initial) 50 divisions (final) Casualties 419,654...

The original route of the procession from Portadown centre to Drumcree went via Cocrain Way. The Orangemen returned via Obins Street, close to a Catholic area in Portadown. This tradition continued until 1985 when successful lobbying by the Catholic community forced subsequent parades to be re-routed via the Garvaghy Road. However, the housing estates developed along the Garvaghy Road during the early 1970s are now predominantly occupied by Catholic families. This situation caused further sectarian conflict during the Orangemen's parade. The inter-communal violence, and the stand-off between the Orangemen and the RUC in the fields adjacent to Drumcree church, has become symbolic of the intractable religious divide in Northern Ireland. Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... The acronym RUC may refer to any of the following: Rádio Universidade de Coimbra Rapid Update Cycle Recordings Under Construction Roskilde University (Roskilde Universitetscenter) Royal Ulster Constabulary, the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001 Renmin University of China RESPECT The Unity Coalition Road User Charges Re...

In 1998 the Northern Ireland Parades Commission banned the Orangeman's parade. Every year since then the parade has been prevented from parading down the Garvaghy Road. In an attempt to defuse the situation the General Synod of the Church of Ireland has requested the Reverend John Pickering, Rector of Drumcree Church, to refrain from holding the Orangeman's service. The Primate of the Church of Ireland, Dr. Robin Eames, stated that "It is a form of blasphemy if, following a religious service, those who have attended it engage in behaviour which makes a mockery of such a service." The Reverend Pickering has, however, refused the request, maintaining that "the doors of my church are open to anyone, including Orangemen". Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... The Parades Commission is a quasi-judicial body responsible for placing restrictions on or banning outright any parades in Northern Ireland it deems contentious or offensive. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Look up blasphemy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

In 2007, following the Northern Ireland power sharing agreement, the Orange Order parade passed peacefully. Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... The Orange Order is a Protestant fraternal organisation largely based in the province of Northern Ireland and in western Scotland but which has a worldwide membership. ...

References

• The Parish of Drumcree

External links

• The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland
• Garvaghy Road residents coalition