Isolated by barbed wire and hatred,

Orangemen dig in as Drumcree tension rises

Tensions at the siege of Drumcree reached a new peak yesterday when Orangemen confronted Royal Ulster Constabulary officers with 30-ton mechanical digger.

Policemen immediately put on riot gear fearing a possible loyalist attempt to demolish the concrete and barbed wire barrier which marks the spot where Orange marchers have been stopped from entering the Catholic Garvaghy Road area of Portadown, CoArmagh.

The army responded by edging their own digger closer to the blockade, but senior policemen eventually persuaded loyalists to move their vehicle out of sight, some 200 yards away.

A senior Unionist official admitted to being "worried" by the presence of the digger, which was greeted with wild cheers from many demonstrators on its arrival.

Earlier, the army erected a second line of barbed wire between police and protesters after a section of the crowd had breached the original barrier on Tuesday night.

However, there were hopeful signs of a move towards a peaceful solution to the stand off when David Trimble, the Ulster Unionist leader, met four church leaders at nearby Armagh.

After talks with the Rev Harry Allen, the Presbyterian Moderator, Church of Ireland primate Dr Robin Eames, the Rev Kenneth Best, the president of the Methodist church in Ireland, and the Catholic primate Cardinal Cahal Daley, Mr Trimble said the session had been "worthwhile" and he promised another meeting in the near future.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister yesterday appealed to the Unionist leaders to accept a compromise to end the siege. "The confrontation we have seen, the mob violence we have seen, does nobody any good in Ireland. And I think the best way that is going to be resolved is by negotiation at local level in the communities," Mr Major said.

The Irish deputy prime minister, Dick Spring, described the situation in Northern Ireland as "very serious". Speaking in Dublin, Mr Spring said: "I think we have all seen over the last number of days the inherent risk in what is happening in Northern Ireland. If people proceed down this line then certainly the future is very bleak."

The Catholic community in Portadown, which last year agreed to a compromise march, insisted that the dispute was between the RUC and the Orangemen. Breandan MacCionnath, of the Garvaghy Road residents' association, said it was Mr Trimble and the Democratic Unionist leader, Ian Paisley, who were "holding the province to ransom".

In another development, the Ulster Volunteer Force paramilitary organisation denied involvement in the murder of Catholic taxi driver and student Michael McGoldrick, who was found shot dead near his home in Lurgan on Monday morning.

The killing raised tensions after nationalists insisted it was a sectarian murder carried out by loyalists. The UVF also denied they were orchestrating the protests and roadblocks which have threatened to bring Northern Ireland to its knees in the worst loyalist violence seen for over 20 years.The Ulster Freedom Fighters has already denied it was behind Mr McGoldrick's murder.

Last night, the RUC again warned motorists not to travel unless the journey was essential as new roadblocks sprung up throughout the province.

At Drumcree, the arrival of Orangemen from Belfast was expected to a swell the crowd to close on 10,000. Attention is now focused on the traditional 11 July celebrations today, which mark the eve of the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne and will once again make Drumcree the focal point for massive loyalist demonstrations.