Numerous public figures who want to see lasting peace in the North of Ireland have signed an open letter. The letter, to Northern Ireland secretary Chris Bryant, expresses support for the Garvaghy Road residents in Portadown.

The open letter in support of Garvaghy Road residents

Dear Secretary of State,

We the undersigned are writing to you with a sense of profound urgency regarding the current impasse surrounding the Garvaghy Road parading dispute in Portadown.

Following the breakdown of recent talks at Hillsborough Castle, it has become increasingly evident that local mechanisms have exhausted their current utility and that a fresh, independent framework is required to prevent a deeper crisis. Therefore, we respectfully urge you to work in tandem with the Irish Government to appoint an independent international mediator from outside Ireland and Britain to facilitate a robust, durable resolution.

The current stand-off serves as a stark reminder of the fragile nature of our shared peace. We must collectively reflect on the extraordinary legacy of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which established the foundational principles of mutual respect, dialogue, and cross-community parity of esteem.

Over the last twenty-eight years, the hard-won peace in Northern Ireland has allowed an entire generation to grow up free from the anguish and violence of the past. To allow old wounds to be aggressively reopened risks destabilising community relations not only in Portadown but across society in the North.

Central to any just resolution must be the primacy and protection of the local community. The residents of the Garvaghy Road endured years of profound trauma, fear, and disruption during the height of the parading conflicts in the 1990s. After nearly three decades of hard-earned calm, it is entirely unacceptable that this community should face a return to that anxiety. It is paramount that the residents be robustly protected from any form of forced processions that disregard their consent, safety, and right to live in peace free from intimidation.

The Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland has already explicitly warned of the potentially catastrophic consequences of attempting to force a contentious march through this community.

An international mediator – possessing a proven background in deeply rooted cultural conflicts and entirely unburdened by domestic political pressures – offers a viable path forward. Such an appointment would lower the political temperature, restore public confidence in the mediation framework, and protect the wider peace process from staring into an avoidable abyss.

We submit this appeal as individuals who have seen firsthand the immense benefit that the harmony of British-Irish relations brings to these islands, offering a powerful blueprint for what can be achieved through genuine partnership.

We cannot afford to step backward. We urge you to exercise courageous political leadership at this critical juncture by looking to the international community for a neutral arbiter who can guide all sides toward a shared, peaceful future.

Thank you for your time, consideration, and ongoing dedication to preserving stability in Northern Ireland. We look forward to your response.

Signatories

• Jim Sheridan, film director, screenwriter, and producer.
• Terry George, film director, screenwriter, and producer.
• Ken Loach, film director, screenwriter, and producer.
• Trevor Birney, film director, producer, and journalist.
• Don Letts, film director and disc jockey.
• Adrian Dunbar, actor.
• Susan Sarandon, actor.
• Maxine Peake, actor.
• Siobhán McSweeney, actor.
• Denise Gough, actor.
• Billy Howle, actor.
• Juliet Stevenson, actor.
• Tony Devlin, actor.
• Lisa Dwan, actor.
• Irvine Welsh, writer and screenwriter.
• Ronan Bennett, writer and screenwriter.
• Paul Laverty, writer and screenwriter.
• Jim Fitzpatrick, artist.
• Sara O’Neill, artist and fashion designer.
• Chris Sullivan, artist.
• Richard Corrigan, chef patron.
• Michael Mansfield, barrister.
• Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the RMT.
• Mick Lynch, former general secretary of the RMT.
• Paul Weller (The Jam and The Style Council), singer and musician.
• Kevin Rowland (Dexys Midnight Runners), singer and musician.
• Sean Read (Dexys Midnight Runners), musician.
• Spider Stacy (The Pogues), singer and musician.
• Graham “Suggs” McPherson (Madness), singer and musician.
• Noel Gallagher (Oasis and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds), singer and musician.
• Johnny Marr (The Smiths, Modest Mouse, the Cribs, The Pretenders, the The…), singer and musician.
• Siobhan Fahey (Bananarama and Shakespears Sister), singer.
• Paul Simonon (The Clash), musician.
• Imelda May, singer.
• Frances Black, singer and politician.
• Aoife Scott, singer.
• Davie Fury, singer and musician.
• Nadine Shah, singer.
• Mo Chara (Kneecap), rapper.
• Móglaí Bap (Kneecap), rapper.
• DJ Próvaí (Kneecap), rapper.
• Robert Del Naja (Massive Attack), musician.
• Neil Martin, musician and composer.
• Michael Timothy, musician and composer.
• Dan Lambert, music manager.
• Alan McGee, music industry executive.
• Jeff Barrett, music industry executive.
• Kevin Gamble, director of Féile an Phobail.

Featured image via the Canary

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