Drumcree Speaks to Us

American Brexit Committee on behalf of Tim Cotton

Drumcree speaks to the urgency of building trust and preparing for a united Ireland now. We cannot wait for every contested parade, historical grievance or disagreement over identity to be resolved before beginning that work. Preparation must help us address those divisions. Without it, we leave communities facing the same disputes, with little confidence that a different constitutional future would offer anything better.

I believe the Parades Commission has a duty to prevent foreseeable confrontations by taking account of a route’s history, its impact on residents and the wider community context. In a shared republic, the Orange Order must have the right to express its culture and history. That right cannot mean an unrestricted entitlement to march along any particular road. Residents, too, have the right to live free from sectarian intimidation and harassment, particularly where legitimate alternative routes allow cultural expression without imposing fear or disruption on another community.

These principles must become part of the preparation for a shared Ireland. People need more than promises that their rights will be respected. They need opportunities to help shape the institutions, safeguards and arrangements through which those rights will be protected. Unionists must be able to participate in that discussion without first agreeing to unity. Residents who have experienced intimidation must be confident that inclusion will not come at the expense of their safety.

In that sense, Drumcree is a symptom of the failure to prepare adequately for our shared future. It exposes the distance between speaking about reconciliation and building the relationships and public confidence that reconciliation requires. Leaving these questions unresolved until a referendum campaign would place an enormous burden on a vote that cannot, by itself, create trust.

We cannot expect a referendum to produce a workable, durable settlement without proper preparation. Voters deserve to understand the future they are being asked to choose: how they would be governed, how their identities and citizenship would be respected, and how disagreements would be resolved fairly. That work must begin well before the vote, and it must involve people across the island, including those who oppose constitutional change.

Drumcree must therefore become a catalyst for action. The Taoiseach and his government must take notice and begin a serious, sustained public process of preparation, with clear responsibilities, resources and opportunities for participation. The difficulty of these issues makes that work more urgent. Waiting will not make them disappear.

Those of us on this side of the Atlantic have a responsibility as well. Through our elected representatives, Irish-American organizations and engagement with Irish diplomatic representatives, we must press for preparation to become a clear government priority. We should ask our representatives to raise this directly with the Taoiseach and his government, and to support an inclusive process grounded in democratic consent and equal rights.

Otherwise, Drumcree risks becoming a setback—or being presented as an obstacle to any discussion of unity. It can deepen the fear that constitutional change would simply transfer power from one community to another. Our response must give people sound reasons to believe that a shared republic would protect their dignity, traditions and security.

The lesson of Drumcree is that trust cannot be postponed until after a referendum. Building it is part of the preparation that makes a referendum meaningful and its outcome sustainable. We must begin that work now.

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