One of our members gives us an insight on his visit to Drumcree;

Last week I found myself visiting Belfast, nothing unique in that you might say plenty people have made the trip over, but I found myself going down to Drumcree Church on the Sunday morning, we didn't make the service sadly but I found myself amazed by what I was seeing.

Many people have never seen Drumcree in reality, they see it as I did, once a year when Brothers try to Parade down Garvaghy road, you really need to see Drumcree the layout and also the passion of the Brothers that march down every Sunday to politely ask to parade to their halls, it really is a spectacle and has given me some clarity in what was simply a weird situation to me, my sympathy always lay with my Brethren but I had never fully understood the scenario.

It took us a thirty minute drive from Belfast until we would get to our destination, on arrival at the Church I looked and marvelled at the sheer presence of the place and picture of beauty a 300 year old beacon standing on top of a beautiful hill, while I stood and took my surroundings in Brothers who had been at the service where waiting to walk down the road to politely ask to parade the route, as always they were replied with a NO! I was never aware this happened weekly and always thought of it as a one of on Drumcree Sunday, amazingly the Brothers who were in attendance where warm and welcoming when you consider what these Brothers stand against and the persecution they face from the media it amazed me again at how accommodating they were to speak to us, everyone was all smiles, including myself.

We later drove down the Garvaghy Road, a seven minute walk for Brethren who have compromised the Garvaghy route from an old excising route, only for Sinn Fein and their propaganda specialists to get in on the scene ruining any good feeling between both communities, one thing my visit confirmed for me is that Sinn Fein are responsible for the ill feeling felt by both communities in Ulster, it surprised me to learn that residents of Garvaghy road didn't particularly care whether the parade went through, contentious route? yeah made so by Sinn Fein/IRA intimidating their own people in what can only be construed as a Propaganda victory for Republicans, in what should be a wonderful memorable parade each year Drumcree has been turned into the Alamo, each year Brethren gather for their right to march the Queens highway, each year they are denied, they have already come to a compromise only to be stabbed in the back again, the British Government have jumped into bed with the wrong side, the sooner people wake up to this the better it will be for us all.