THE Protestants outside the Church of Our Lady in Harryville on Saturday night sang Make Me a Channel of Your Peace. Inside, Canon Sean Connolly and his congregation of 500 prayed for the hymn singers and thanked them. They also prayed for the protesters.
Less than 200 yards away, behind RUC officers in riot gear, some protesters threw stones and shouted "Fenian lovers" at the RUC. While there were some arrests, the night was relatively peaceful.
Relatively peaceful, that is, in that none of the Catholic worshippers was physically attacked as they had been the previous Saturday.
There was nothing peaceful about the mood of the demonstrators, determined to persist with their picket until Orangemen are allowed parade through Dunloy. The RUC kept them at bay in two groups to the left and right of the chapel less than 200 yards away. They couldn't get at the Massgoers so they taunted the police and the press instead. The atmosphere was mean and menacing.
"Is your name Paddy?" they shouted at RUC officers.
Or: "You are running scared of the IRA."
Or: "You wouldn't do this for the Orangemen in Dunloy."
Or: "We have civil rights, too, you know."
One man was doing a little jig in temper. "You boys are just scum," he told reporters. "You say something straight to your face and you write something different."
One reporter told him: "We're only here because you're here." That set him off. "You boys should be hunted. You'd be better off moving for your own safety, you know."
They had no obvious leader but an Orangemen and a former British soldier did agree to speak to the press. They appeared reasonable but they saw nothing wrong with the demonstration. When Dunloy was resolved, Harryville would be resolved.
The Orangeman appeared opposed to last week's violence. "But only three people were attacked. You have to remember that Protestant people have been under interrogation from the IRA for the past 28 years. And every IRA man that was caught was a Roman Catholic so let the Roman Catholic Church answer that question."
In the church, Mass proceeded with a full congregation, although there were fewer children there than normal. Some of the Protestants outside huddled together in little prayer groups.
Before Mass started, the Ulster Unionist Party mayor, Mr James Currie, some of his UUP colleagues, and several Protestant clergymen and some of their flock arrived at the church. No DUP politicians were seen.
Mr Currie, who has received threats because of his stance, said he was delighted that Protestants had turned out in support. It helped to prove to Catholics that they had Protestant friends and neighbours, both from Ballymena and the Harryville area, who would stand up for their civil and religious liberties.
He had one message for the protesters: "Please leave Ballymena alone. Let us get out of the media. Let us get back to investing and getting work and jobs and factories back into Ballymena."
A local Presbyterian minister, the Rev Russell Birney, said they were there in solidarity with local Catholics. "We are here because of a feeling of revulsion and despair at what is happening in our name. We just refute what is going on outside this place."
Had they wanted to they could have brought several hundred more Protestants to show solidarity, but the local Protestant clergymen felt that might be counterproductive, said Mr Birney. They had dissuaded people from coming because the situation was "dangerous enough".
He understood there were local Protestants who abhorred the protests but were scared to speak out for fear they or their families and homes would be attacked.
Protestants were glad to show solidarity but felt it unwise to reveal their identities. "How can I protect myself or my wife or my home if five or six of these boys come along with crowbars or baseball bats and beat your head in, or smash up your property?" asked one man.
Local Catholics were glad of the support. As they left the church, they shook hands with Protestants. Some embraced. One Catholic woman broke down in tears. "Good will come from this," she said.
"Love meets hate," said another, looking towards the 200 protesters.
The Protestant group marched away from the church, followed by the Catholics in their cars. Hundreds of RUC officers and scores of Land Rovers protected them.
"Traitor," some of the Protestants shouted at Mr Currie.
One of the Protestant clergymen spoke to some of the loyalists. "Turncoat," they called him. He persisted in arguing his case but was told: "Go ahead and join the Fenian church."
"We'll be back next Saturday," said the protesters.
