There was a palpable sense of relief in Belfast at the weekend after Saturday's contentious Orange Order Whiterock parade passed off peacefully.
Strict stewarding on both sides, but especially by nationalists, ensured that the parade and protest along the nationalist part of the Springfield Road in west Belfast were free of violent incident.
An eleventh hour attempt to find an accommodation between the Orangemen and the Springfield Road residents group failed on Saturday, which necessitated a strong PSNI presence.
About 500 police officers in riot gear and scores of PSNI Land Rovers, with two water cannon vehicles on standby, were deployed on and around the Springfield Road. For the first time there was no British army back-up, although had major violence erupted troops could have been called to provide support.
To general relief, however, there was no trouble, with nationalists staging a peaceful protest and Orangemen holding to the parade instructions laid down by the Parades Commission.
About 50 Orangemen were permitted to march through the Workman Avenue "peace line" gate from the Shankill area onto the nationalist Springfield Road. They in turn joined about 700 Orangemen and eight bands, comprising over 1,000 people, who had come onto the Springfield Road from the old Mackies industrial site.
About 150 nationalists were allowed to gather opposite Workman Avenue and along part of the Springfield Road displaying a large banner stating, "Make Sectarianism History", and carrying posters with messages such as "Loyalists threaten,Parades Commission concedes" and "Loyalist violence works".
This was a reference to the major violence that erupted during last September's postponed Whiterock parade involving Orangemen, band members and loyalist paramilitaries, which cost £4.7 million in damage and policing.
With the Parades Commission determination allowing Orangemen onto the Springfield Road, the concern was there would be an outbreak of nationalist violence on Saturday.
The Springfield Road Action Group (SRAG), however, carefully marshalled Saturday's protest. As one republican source explained: "Dissidents were warned to keep away. Youngsters were told not to get involved. The policy was simple, we didn't want trouble because [ referring to the Orangemen] there was no point in handing over victory to that lot."
Two of the most contentious parades of the marching season - Whiterock and the Tour of the North at Ardoyne over a week ago - have now passed off without serious incident, raising hope that the rest of the summer will also be relatively trouble free.
Seán Murray, chairman of SRAG, said while local people were angry at the Parades Commission determination on the parade, nationalists would continue to negotiate in good faith to resolve disputes. "This is a distraction, and we want to remove this distraction, and focus on the real issues, the social and economic issues on this road," he said.
Drew Nelson, grand secretary of the Orange Order, said the successful outcome was a "victory for democracy and a small step on the long road towards full and proper recognition of Protestant cultural rights".