Orangemen prayed and asked for calm before march

The Orangemen prayed before setting off on their march towards Drumcree Church for their annual Battle of the Somme commemoration service.

They were led by members of the Star of David Accordian Band.

Crowds of supporters lined the streets of Portadown Town Centre in a show of solidarity for the Orangemen.

The march wound its way through the town centre and headed out towards Corcrain en route to the church.

Supporters also carried banners including one emblazoned with the slogan ‘‘No justice for Protestants’’.

The parade was due to pass the former flashpoint area of Obins Street and the heavy police and army fortifications around the nationalist Garvaghy Road where the parade has been banned from returning.

In a £6m operation, security forces erected a concrete and steel barrier at Drumcree Bridge to block the Orange march from the Garvaghy Road.

Fields around Drumcree Parish Church and St John’s Catholic Church have also had razor wire and barbed wire placed in them and a water-filled ditch has been widened.