Sir, - So the Orangemen are up to their provocative tricks again with their 10-day march from Derry to Portadown and, of course, under the plausible excuse of drawing attention to their civil and religious liberties. Such provocation at this time of tension in Northern Ireland is neither civil or religious.
There is nothing civil about an inflammatory demonstration designed to provoke tension and unrest, in spite of pious promises to the contrary. The march itself is provocative. And there is nothing religious in attending a church service that has in mind to cause mayhem at its conclusion. The Orangemen have been told this by no less than the recent Synod of the Church of Ireland.
I cannot understand, for the life of me, why the British government, which is responsible for law and order in the North of Ireland, cannot and should not put a total moratorium on all marches and public demonstrations in the province for the time being until the peace process is put in place and there will be a legitimate authority, to which all sides have subscribed, to govern the province. It should have been done before now. It's not too late to do it still. - Yours, etc., Fr Placid C. Nolan OP,
Tralee, Co Kerry.