Portadown Orangemen today pledged to remain peaceful as they set off on Northern Ireland’s volatile loyalist parade.

Portadown Orangemen were urged tonight to recognise their awesome responsibility to Northern Ireland to protest peacefully at Drumcree at the weekend.

Portadown Orangemen have again been barred from marching down the nationalist Garvaghy Road during their annual Drumcree Parade.

Nationalist residents groups cast doubt today over their involvement in a conference on the Northern Ireland parades issue after two of their leading spokesmen received death threats from a renegade loyalist group.

The South African mediator who has been trying without success to resolve the long-running Drumcree Orange Order parade dispute announced he was quitting tonight.

Portadown Orangemen today marched through London to bring their Drumcree protest to Prime Minister Tony Blair’s doorstep.

A Sinn Fein Assembly member today expressed alarm at comments from the chairman of the Parades Commission that Portadown Orangemen should engage with nationalist residents if they want a march from Drumcree this year.