Background to the Research

• In NI in the 1990s, there was a refocusing of efforts at reaching a constitutional settlement, alongside considerable attempts to improve community relations. Despite this, the summer of 1996 witnessed one of the worst periods of civil unrest. One of the major focuses of this conflict was the rerouting of an annual Orange Order parade away from its traditional route through the Nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown.
• Events surrounding Drumcree are said to have had an adverse effect on community relations and called into question the effectiveness of the strategies being employed by community relations practitioners.
  

Research Approach

• The author draws on a wide range of research literature in order to explore the nature and effect of events at Drumcree and the wider implications for community relations policy and practice.
  

Main Findings

• The wider context of Drumcree is the perceived marginalisation of Unionists in the search for a constitutional settlement in NI. Drumcree resulted in a rise in the levels of sectarian tensions and intimidation in many parts of NI. This was accompanied by doubts about the ability of community relations policy to impact on sectarian conflict.
• To date, much of the focus of community relations policy and practice has centred around cross-community contact, with its emphasis on the potential to bring about greater mutual understanding, coexistence and cooperation. However, inter-community contact masks negative social attitudes.
• The majority of Protestants and Catholics were angered by, and frightened of, the fallout from Drumcree. Those most actively involved in Drumcree and the subsequent violence are the most extreme elements in both communities and place the greatest value on political and religious identity. Research demonstrates that those who see themselves as marginalized are least likely to be involved in cross-community contact. Yet it is with these individuals that the community relations need is the greatest.
• One response by professionals to the problem of marginalisation has been the use of single identity community relations projects, the aim of which is to raise awareness of cultural diversity through education programmes.
• Single identity community relations challenges the idea that community relations objectives can only be attained through cross-community work. Cross-community contact only happens once individuals are comfortable with their own identity and have an understanding of the position of others.
• Intra-community work prior to cross-community contact also stresses the importance of education, through which participants become more informed about their own and alternative cultural perspectives.
• The existing emphasis on cross-community contact means that single identity projects represent a very small percentage of projects supported by funding bodies. Growth of these projects is further inhibited by the focus of public policy makers on economy, efficiency and effectiveness where inputs and outputs are easily measured.
• Given the logic of single identity projects, it may be worth the risk of trying this new approach even though effectiveness is not easily quantified because of it's potential to further improve community relations.