THE Orange Order leadership has denied claims that an agreement has been reached between local Orangemen and residents of largely nationalist Dromore, Co Tyrone, to allow an Orange march through it.
Protestant and Catholic clergy, nationalist councillors and local residents all say an agreement has been negotiated which will allow two local Orange lodges to walk through the village on July 12th.
An SDLP councillor, Mr Liam McQuaid, said yesterday that eight Orangemen from the Mullinagough and Lakemount lodges were also party to the agreement.
However Mr George Patton, secretary of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, said he was unaware of any agreement. Mr Patton said neither the local district lodge of Fintona nor the Co Tyrone lodge was involved in the arrangement.
It is understood that negotiations have been going on for several weeks and that the agreement centres on the main Co Tyrone demonstration, which is to be held in the village on July 12th.
It is believed consensus was reached on routes, times and the number of bands and lodges attending.
The Mullinagough and Lakemount lodges will parade along the mainly nationalist Church Street on the morning of July 12th. However the much larger parade in the afternoon, bringing together lodges from all over Tyrone, will avoid the area. It will take the usual route from the Omagh Road via Main Street to the Fintona Road and on to the "field".
The breakthrough came at a meeting on March 6th organised by two local churchmen, the Church of Ireland Rector, the Rev Don Gamble, and the parish priest, Father Thomas Breen. It was held in the credit union offices and was attended by a number of Dromore Orangemen, local residents, and local SDLP and Sinn Fein politicians. It was chaired by Mr McQuaid.
Mr McQuaid described the meeting as "cordial". "It was a breakthrough. The people of Dromore who attended the meeting were very relieved that it was called." He paid particular tribute to the foresight of the two clergymen.
Last year, disturbances broke out after attempts to block part of the Orangemen's route.
However Mr Gerald Marshall, deputy master of one of the local lodges, said yesterday that no agreement had been reached.
"No one in attendance at the meeting concerned was there at the request of the Orange Order. Therefore any agreements, arrangements or decisions reached by those in attendance on behalf of the Orange Order as regards to parades in the village are null and void."
However, Mr Gamble said he believed such dissenting voices were in a minority in the Dromore lodges. "We still have the consensus of the majority of the people in Dromore who want to see parades and want to see them peacefully pass through Dromore.
In the community there has to be the will for people to work together and to live together and if that's there then I think you can make headway. In places where there isn't that will and mutual respect for all traditions, then it is going to be much more difficult."