A controversial Orange Order parade planned for the Garvaghy Road in Portadown, Northern Ireland, will proceed for the first time in nearly 30 years following a court ruling that cleared the way for the event. The parade, scheduled for 8am on Sunday, was nearly stopped after a last-minute legal battle. The Garvaghy Road has been a site of significant sectarian tension in Northern Ireland, particularly during the late 1990s, when conflicts often arose between predominantly Catholic, pro-Irish republicans and Protestant, pro-UK unionists. Justice Patricia Smyth initially issued an order to temporarily suspend the parade after a five-hour hearing at a special sitting of the high court on Saturday. She urged all parties involved to "step back from the abyss" and make responsible decisions "for the sake of everyone in Northern Ireland." However, later that evening, Lady Chief Justice Siobhan Keegan stated that the high court judge who had issued the injunction against the march had "unfortunately erred in law." A new application to block the parade was also dismissed in the early hours of Sunday morning. Justice Michael Humphreys presided over a time-limited court session that began at 12:20am on Sunday. He acknowledged the "unusual if not unprecedented circumstances" of the last-minute legal proceedings. He referenced case law stating that courts must respect their own judgments and "their decisions will not be lightly interfered with." He noted that the ability to challenge a public body's decision is limited to cases where no reasonable decision could have been made, which he did not believe was the case here. The Garvaghy Road parade had been banned for 28 years after widespread sectarian violence occurred in 1998 near Drumcree church. Justice Smyth had warned on Saturday that the long-running dispute could escalate tensions in Northern Ireland. She urged the parties in court to "be big enough to step back from the abyss." Overnight, hundreds of people gathered in the Garvaghy Road area, and residents planned a protest against the parade, which organizers said could draw thousands of attendees. Michelle O'Neill, first minister of Northern Ireland, called the decision to overturn the court ruling "disgraceful" and described the parade as "steeped in a history of hate, sectarian violence, and murder." She emphasized that "there is no going back" and said Sinn Féin would fully support the Garvaghy Road community. SDLP leader Claire Hanna called the parade plan "provocative" and expressed concern that some individuals were "intent on reopening the hurt and the traumas of the past." Fears of clashes increased after a request for a counter-march, initially expected to draw up to 5,000 people, was revised to 300. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham urged leaders to "work calmly" through the weekend, while Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant called for "cool heads," stating that Northern Ireland had "withstood many moments of sharp disagreement" in the past. Before her ruling, Justice Smyth had asked all parties, including the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Parades Commission, to carefully consider the important issues raised in the case and deal with them properly, given the case's significance to community relations. She emphasized that the issues of judicial review were of "such fundamental importance" that a full hearing without all the facts could be unwise. Democratic Unionist MP Carla Lockhart claimed that nationalist residents on the road had "nothing to fear" from the march, while Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald called the decision "utterly reckless." The Parades Commission imposed some restrictions on the procession, including an 8am start time and a limit of 35 participants, but did not restrict the route.