Cars damaged at Antrim Catholic church

Cars parked at a Catholic church in Harryville, Co Antrim, have been damaged by vandals, it emerged today.

Cars parked at a Catholic church in Harryville, Co Antrim, have been damaged by vandals, it emerged today.

Two vehicles were damaged in the attack outside Our Lady's Chapel, once held under siege by loyalists.

Churchgoers discovered bricks and stones had been thrown after evening Mass on Saturday. No arrests were made.

Although located in a fiercely Protestant district of the town, the church has escaped serious trouble in recent years. During the late 1990s, however, it was the scene of bitter sectarian protests that captured global headlines.

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For nearly two years churchgoers were forced to run a gauntlet of abuse every Saturday night as hundreds of loyalists picketed the chapel.

The demonstrations were mounted because of anger at nationalist objections to Orangemen marching through the nearby village of Dunloy, Co Antrim.

Police and protesters clashed repeatedly during the stand-off, which ran up a £1 million security bill. The picket was eventually called off just weeks after the Belfast Agreement was signed in April 1998.

PA