Orange Order march row goes to heart of ongoing divisions in Northern Ireland

Image source, Reuters Image caption, Hundreds of protesters blocked the parade route after it was given clearance for the first time in almost 30 years

Community correspondent, BBC News NI Published 8 minutes ago History shows that when the politics of Northern Ireland are wrapped up in a street dispute, friction is seldom far away.

Bitter rows in the Stormont chamber between unionists and nationalists happen almost every week, but ground-level arguments are rare these days.

The Drumcree parade dispute in Portadown is a clash of political cultures.

The Orange Order is a Protestant pro-British organisation. The area where it wants to walk is largely Catholic, and predominantly inhabited by pro-Irish nationalists.

This dispute over a piece of road is not just a local problem. It has the potential to affect other parts of Northern Ireland and the power-sharing arrangements at Stormont.