ABSTRACT
It has been claimed that in Northern Ireland, Catholicism versus Protestantism is the most highly rated ethno-political category, with denominational social identity frequently considered a more important division than either gender or social class (Cairns and Mercer 1984). In this chapter the intention is to describe events at a controversial Orange parade,1 at Drumcree, as the experience directly relates to a group of Protestant women from the Shankill Road in Belfast.2 For the women referred to in this chapter, their Protestant identity is most cogently expressed not through religious worship but rather through secular loyalist practices, and their participation in the event will be considered in the light of other protests and demonstrations they are involved with. My prime interest is to position this piece as a demonstration of interdependence between secular and devout practices within political and religious rituals in Northern Ireland. To that end I will introduce the piece by briefly considering the role of the church parade as an example of Orange and other loyal orders’ parades, and in addition will look at the background to their controversial stance at Drumcree.
