Nationalists in Northern Ireland must recognise that Ulster Protestants have rights too, the Anglican Primate of All Ireland, the Most Revd Robin Eames, said at the end of July. The Archbishop's comments were met with anger from the Sinn Fein, a Nationalist party which demanded that the Primate clarify the Church of IrelandÕs relationship with the Protestant Orange Order.
Dr Eames said that he had learned with "great sadness and anger" of arson attacks on Protestant Church property, homes, individuals and businesses, and of boycotts on certain shops. "I have been told of intimidation and threats," he said. "Some statements at rallies have been openly sectarian, and addressed to the Protestant community." There was no excuse for such sectarianism, and he condemned it as he had condemned such actions from the Loyalist community.
Archbishop Eames has achieved a reputation as a peacemaker, able to negotiate with both sides in the Northern Ireland conflict. But these comments caused Sinn Fein to ask whether he approved of Church of Ireland ministers who were also Orangemen.
The Sinn Fein Councillor Tom Hartley said that it was from a Church of Ireland hall that the events of the riots in Drumcree had been planned and instigated. "There has been no censure of those who openly used one of his Church's premises as a base from which to conspire to hold the whole Nationalist community of the Six Counties to ransom." The standoff between Protestant Orangemen and police in July in Drumcree led to riots across Northern Ireland, despite efforts of Dr Eames, the Roman Catholic Cardinal, and other other Church leaders to broker a peaceful resolution. At the end of July the Primate called for adjudication to resolve problems caused by the Orange marches. It also emerged that the Church of Ireland had taken legal advice about the use of its buildings for Orange functions, and had concluded that power to decide the use of Church property lay with select vestries or parish councils rather than with higher authority.
A march in August in Derry passed without major incident after both communities had held talks with each other. The Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, the Rt Revd James Mehaffey, said that the talks lead to a short-term resolution to this year's march by the Protestant Apprentice Boys but that a longer term solution could be difficult. "Marches and parades are endemic to both communities, Nationalist and Protestant. The way forward is in the building-up of relations between people through better communications; in this way we can establish the sort of understanding which makes for tolerance."
The Irish House of Bishops announced that it would investigate the riots at Drumcree and it will be making a submission to a a government committee recently set up to review parades. The marching season in Northern Ireland lasts from mid July to mid-September and it is hoped that Church leaders and Church groups will be able to prevent riots at Drumcree and other flash points from happening in next year's marching season.