Drumcree Church is a Protestant parish church, known as the oldest church in Portadown, Northern Ireland. Built in 1854 from local stone, it’s particularly well known in Northern Ireland for its close links with the Orange Order, who used to organize commemorative marches here, which often degenerated.
Drumcree Church was built in Portdown in 1854, on the site of a ruined Catholic church dating back to 1110. At the time, tensions between Catholics and Protestants were palpable in Ireland, and the new church was intended to consolidate the Protestant Unionist presence in Portadown, which was then largely settled by Unionists. In the 19th century, the church’s influence was such that extension work was carried out. The following are built :
In 1854, the church was finally demolished and rebuilt to its current appearance. It is the oldest church in Portadown.
The church was the starting point for the annual July 12 Orangemen’s March, commemorating the Battle of the Boyne, a battle fought in 1690 between the army of William III of Orange (Protestant) and his predecessor, the Catholic King James II of England. This march was banned in 1998, following the Good Friday Accords (August 10, 1998) and the numerous outbursts observed beforehand, as the parade was not to the taste of republican Catholics, who saw it as a real provocation.
Drumcree church combines elegance and sobriety, with its grey stone walls and lauze roof. Impossible to miss with its small cemetery, Drumcree Church is a very popular place for churchgoers and visitors alike, who come here and there to snap a few photos of the building, inside and out.
If you step through the door, you’ll admire a well-balanced nave, beautifully adorned with paintings, stained glass and other religious objects… Photos are allowed, as long as you don’t overuse the flash…
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