AS tension mounts over tomorrow night's protest and band parade at the Catholic church in the Harryville district of Ballymena, a former loyalist prisoner has denied newspaper claims that he is a central organiser of the protest.
Quoting "reliable sources", the Belfast based Irish News had reported that Mr Billy McCaughey, who served 16 years of a life sentence for his part in the murder of a Catholic in the 1970s, was playing a leading role in the weekly church pickets.
"I definitely am not, but I have done a few press releases," Mr McCaughey told The Irish Times last night. "I would have certain capabilities in that regard which maybe some of those involved wouldn't.
Mr McCaughey, who lives in Ballymena, said he sympathised with the aim of the Harryville protest, which was "to secure civil right's for Orangemen in Duloy". He had taken part in the church pickets "maybe six times" over a 21 week period.
He acknowledged that the people attending Mass at Harryville were "just ordinary Catholics", but pointed out that the Orangemen who wished to march at Dunloy, seven miles away, were for the most part "just ordinary Protestant farmers, tradesmen and bus drivers".
He suggested that part of the motivation behind the Harryville pickets was "to bring home to those ordinary Catholics how ordinary Protestants in Dunloy feel".
Mr McCaughey served 16 years for his part in the killing of a Catholic chemist in Ahoghill Co Antrim, in 1977. He was also a leading figure in the 1978 kidnapping of Father Hugh Murphy, from Ahoghill. While serving in the RUC, he took part in a bomb attack on a public house in Keady Co Armagh.
"I have no involvement in that sphere now," he said, adding that having paid his debt to society he was a totally, law abiding citizen.
"I pleaded guilty to, them all, I served my time and that's it." He said he would "have a lot of admiration for David Ervine - I think at times perhaps he's just slightly ahead of the people that he needs to influence". He would "certainly support an honourable and a fair compromise as a means out of the dilemma in Northern Ireland".
When the Harryville Catholic church was built about 25 years ago, the area was "99.9 per cent Protestant" and would still be "about 96 per cent". Mass goers had remained unmolested for all that time despite the fact that it was an "extreme unionist" area.
Commenting on the call by the Rev Ian Paisley for protesters to pass the church quietly during the Mass, he said: "The people who are involved in Harryville, they are a younger generation Protestant with no real allegiance to Dr Paisley. They would view him as an establishment figure. The fact that he called for bands not to play guaranteed that they will play. Until Dunloy is resolved, I do not think Harryville is going to go away." If the Orangemen were allowed to march through Dunloy, the Harryville protest would end.
Meanwhile, SDLP representatives from Ballymena said in a statement that if the protesters were concerned about civil rights and community relations, they should engage in "dialogue, not confrontation".
The statement was issued by Mr Sean Farren, Mr Declan O'Loan and Mr P.J. McEvoy.
Meanwhile, Mr Cedric Wilson, the chairman of the Northern Ireland Forum's committee examining the issue of parades, has warned the people of Northern, Ireland faced a "terrible" summer unless the issue of parades was resolved.
"We don't believe we are going to reach a conclusion that is going to answer all the problems. What we do hope is that we can be part of the solution," said Mr Wilson.