Dublin City Council backs Garvaghy Road residents' right to 'live without fear'
Dublin City Council has backed a motion supporting Garvaghy Road residents.
An emergency motion submitted by Sinn Féin was accepted without debate at the October monthly meeting held on Monday. The party group leader Councillor Daithí Doolan said their proposal “clearly calls on the Orange Order not to march down Garvaghy Road” and supports the residents right to “live without fear”.
The motion noted that there has been peace on Garvaghy Road for 28 years because no marches were permitted. “This has ensured that the violence and fear from previous marches has been avoided,” it stated.
Orange Order marches on the Garvaghy Road were central to the Drumcree conflict, which saw a sit-down protest in 1995 that led to a violent standoff and ultimately saw the march banned from the road in 1998. An appeal in 2026 ruled that Orangemen could march down the road, which reinflamed tensions.
Dublin City Council has urged that the Orange Order reroute their march away from Garvaghy Road and Lord Mayor Daryl Barron agreed to write to An Taoiseach urging him to contact the Orange Order, Chief Constable of the PSNI and the British Secretary of State demanding that they agree to reroute this contentious march for this and future years.
Cllr Doolan welcomed the cross party support for their motion and said it reflects “the level of growing support for Garvaghy Road residents right across Ireland”. “Garvaghy Road residents have a right to live in peace. No community should be out under siege by unwanted sectarian marches,” he said.
"No Orange Order march proceeded down the Garvaghy Road for 28 years and this has ensured that the violence and fear from previous marches has been avoided.
"Forcing an Orange Order through this community will shatter this peace. The largest local authority in Ireland stands in support and in solidarity with the residents of Garvaghy Road."
This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme