Drumcree: Perhaps Cultural Unionism and Constitutional Unionism have Parted Company.

The return of Drumcree to our newspapers and political headlines has brought back troubling memories for many people in Northern Ireland.

However, in trying to untangle this difficult problem, perhaps we also need to ask ourselves whether we are understanding Unionism and Nationalism properly?

To recap on recent events, the Parades Commission permitted a limited Orange Order parade along the Garvaghy Road. This prompted legal challenges, appeals and a major protest by local residents and their supporters. The parade did not proceed along the road, and tensions have subsequently increased within both nationalist and unionist communities.

Once again, this has largely been presented as a debate between Unionism and Nationalism. But perhaps it is more complicated than that.

Could this be a moment when two different strands within Unionism – cultural Unionism and constitutional Unionism – begin to diverge?

And, if so, are there similar distinctions within Nationalism?

Constitutional and Cultural Unionism

We could define constitutional Unionism quite simply as support for Northern Ireland remaining part of the United Kingdom.

Cultural Unionism is quite different. It may comprise those who feel strongly connected to British identity, Protestant history, remembrance traditions, Orange traditions and other aspects of Unionist cultural inheritance.

Of course, there may be some overlap. Someone may primarily regard themselves as a constitutional Unionist but still have close family or community connections with aspects of Unionist culture in their town or county.

Likewise, someone may regard their cultural Unionist identity as particularly important while also strongly supporting the retention of the Union.

There is nothing unusual about this. Political identities across the world are often influenced by their culture, family history and inherited traditions.

But constitutional Unionists may support the Union for different reasons: economic stability, access to UK public services, political security, or simply because they prefer the existing constitutional arrangements and do not want the upheaval of significant constitutional change.

Some of these people may not be from the traditional Unionist community at all. They may describe themselves as Northern Irish, Irish, British or have arrived in Northern Ireland from elsewhere.

So, there are differences between these two types of Unionism.

And this is where Drumcree becomes particularly interesting, because the present dispute clearly contains a strong element of cultural identity.

Is Nationalism Any Different?

Perhaps similar distinctions can be found in Nationalism – possibly under similar descriptions as constitutional and cultural Nationalism.

Constitutional Nationalism is primarily concerned with whether Northern Ireland should eventually become part of a united Ireland, through democratic consent under the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement.

Cultural Nationalism is broader and concerns Irish identity, historical experience, the Irish language and recognition of the traditions and experiences of the nationalist community. As is the case with cultural Unionism, this is not unusual as it can also be seen in many other countries in the world.

There will be considerable overlap – but these differences or distinctions also matter.

A constitutional Nationalist may strongly support Irish unity but also wish British or Orange cultural traditions to be respected and protected within any new Ireland. A cultural Nationalist may place greater emphasis on their historical experiences of confrontation or community division.

This is complex and neither is right or wrong but these distinctions may affect how people view the dispute at Drumcree.

Drumcree and the competing meanings

The current Drumcree dispute is not actually about whether Northern Ireland remains within the United Kingdom. There is a wider constitutional context in many issues in Northern Ireland but no constitutional boundary is going to change depending on whether the parade walks along the Garvaghy Road.

Instead, the current dispute concerns historical memories, community consent to walk, competing rights, legal decisions and policing.

This is where there may be some variation between cultural and constitutional Unionism.

Constitutional Unionists may worry that pursuing a cultural parade, which is divisive for another community, may damage community relations in Northern Ireland and might subsequently reduce the attractiveness of the Union to some people or voters.

The ‘middle ground’ in politics is often talked about as being the deciding influence in any future border poll. I think it is fair to say that a large group of people within this broad grouping are following closely how the Drumcree situation unfolds. This would be a particular concern of constitutional Unionists.

Cultural Unionists, however, might make the arguments that restricting their traditions weakens their own community and eventually weakens the Union. They may ask: why can’t this Orange parade proceed peacefully if it is legally permitted and what does this say about the Unionist culture?

There are no obvious right or wrong answers to this and both of these arguments should be heard.

But I hope that this demonstrates that the arguments are different.

Nationalism’s Challenge

Nationalism may face a similar challenge.

Constitutional Nationalists may be concerned about providing reassurance that British and Unionist cultural traditions would be protected within any new Ireland. Cultural Nationalists may be slightly more concerned about the historical issues of confrontation and community division.

Perhaps, in the case of Drumcree, Unionists may want to understand how those with an Irish identity can feel comfortable within the United Kingdom, while Nationalists may want to understand how those with a British identity could feel comfortable within a united Ireland.

Put simply, if a border poll takes place in the future, then attracting votes from outside the traditional Unionist and Nationalist communities could be the deciding factor in whether Northern Ireland remains in the United Kingdom or joins a united Ireland.

These are difficult and complicated issues.

Understanding and Accommodating

Drumcree is often perceived to be a confrontation between Unionists and Nationalists but perhaps there are several competing arguments at the same time.

This situation is also made more complicated by the coming NI Assembly elections in May 2027. There is a risk that short-term electoral advantage, from some political parties, will trump their long-term constitutional aspirations.

In summary, the cultural arguments ask how we accommodate the different traditions, identities and historical experiences when communities attach very different meanings to the same event.

And the constitutional arguments ask how we persuade people that their own identity and interests can be protected in whichever constitutional arrangement eventually applies.

These two arguments overlap but they are not the same. However, they may help us understand the present Drumcree dispute.

Cultural Unionism and constitutional Unionism can support each other, but sometimes they may be moving in different directions. The same may be true within Nationalism.

Recognising those differences may not solve the Drumcree dispute, but it may help to understand why the dispute is difficult.

It might also help us discuss it with respect, with greater understanding of all sides’ positions and with greater curiosity.