Parades in Northern Ireland
parade prominent cultural feature northern ireland overwhelming majority parade held ulster protestant unionist ulster loyalist group irish nationalist republican nonpolitical group also parade due longstanding controversy surrounding contentious nature parade quasijudicial public body parade commission exists place condition settle dispute although parading group recognise commission authority decision legally binding majority parade northern ireland nearly organised protestant andor unionist group leading people view attempt restrict parade attack protestant andor unionist culture parade typically take place saturday mean participant spectator take time work avoid parading sunday protestant believe spent purely religious activity exception twelfth july parade held date year unless th fall sunday case postponed monday th church parade held sunday orange institution hold hundred parade throughout northern ireland every year biggest usually twelfth july twelfth commemoration battle boyne individual lodge also parade various time year particularly leading twelfth parade memory dead world war particularly th ulster division battle somme held july november junior lodge armagh south tyrone fermanagh parade annually end may last saturday october reformation day celebrated year last major orange parade belfast proceed saint anne cathedral church service apprentice boy derry exist commemoration siege derry seventeenth century boy biggest celebration held derry saturday nearest august year commemoration lifting siege also parade saturday nearest december commemoration original apprentice boy shutting gate town king james ii troop easter apprentice boy parade held city derry main parade royal black institution held last saturday august known last black saturday originally held august commemoration end siege derry date event moved local parade held belfast two week beforehand major event sham fight scarva july actor playing william orange ritually defeat actor playing james ii thus reenacting victory williamite force battle boyne also august battle newtownbutler celebration parade held fermanagh previously held date remembering siege derry moved saturday attempt attract larger crowd participant well accompanying organisation parade many marching band also hold parade often fundraising activity often combined band competitions—which band united kingdom invited compete in—sometimes amounting band single parade band parade regular loyal order parade numerous parade every weekend early april end september parade much less common among nationalist republican community according parade commission less parade northern ireland nationalistrepublican compared protestant organisation ancient order hibernians parade relatively infrequently main parade saint patrick day easter lady day various point trouble hibernians offered cease parading protestant group irish national forester nationalist fraternal organisation although open irish people religion majority member catholic main parading date sunday closest august northern ireland biggest annual republican parade take place august féile phobail began protest internment without trial evolved festival celebrates gaelic republican culture republican parade also held january commemorate bloody sunday easter commemorate easter rising republican march every year commemorate anniversary hunger strike parade attended republican figure gerry adam republican parade attended irish republican band come scotland england ireland especially march august commemorate anniversary hunger strike late early group civil activist northern ireland civil right association nicra people democracy attempted use protest march tactic contemporary protest movement elsewhere world draw attention political social economic discrimination catholic northern ireland civil right march reaction major contributing factor outbreak trouble due largely heavyhanded policing easter major parading time community often considered start year marching season number republican group also commemorate easter rising according neil jarman protestant began parading easter counter republican parading people aware easter parade accepted part loyalist tradition number parade held northern ireland especially belfast associated particular religious tradition subject law regulation parade several city northern ireland hold lord mayor parade marking end mayor term office usually carnivaltype event evolved stately affair held many city united kingdom since middle age belfast parade take place may theme love friendship country salvation army northern ireland sometimes parade brass band salvation army parade generally seen controversial sectarian parade led problem lgbt pride parade held belfast year since early northern ireland high level fundamentalist christianity often controversial number christian group called banned parade commission ruled could go ahead sometimes described one genuine crosscommunity event northern ireland war memorial parade mainly attended unionist population northern ireland recently nationalist started get involved war memorial parade run protestant organisation orange order however remembrance sunday sunday closest november organised local council british legion commemorate war dead religious background remembrance sunday parade usually consist march veteran local military unit remembrance sunday ceremony usually held war memorial often another march church service many parade st patrick day throughout northern ireland although parade celebrates patron saint stature patron saint ireland recognised st patrick patron saint island ireland patron saint nationalist unionist throughout ireland recent year loyal order orange order apprentice boy derry held parade mark st patrick day youth organisation boy brigade take part organise parade drill throughout calendar parading controversial issue northern ireland general debate centre route particular parade people one community often object parade side passing near area exclusively orange order parade marching mainly nationalist republican area parade seen objectionable regardless route involve commemorate paramilitary group provisional irish republican army ulster defence association otherwise noncontroversial parade sometimes caused conflict band lodge carrying banner flag associated paramilitary group gay pride parade also controversial since nineteenth century british government various local authority attempted control parade disorder sometimes accompanies orange order parade banned period nineteenth century address british house common july henry parnell called inquiry orange lodge ireland noted petition requesting inquiry saying existence orange lodge ireland mainly attributed disturbance public peace particularly celebration procession certain insignia etc besides agitation necessarily produced beget counter spirit among people led animosity consequence produced riot parliamentary select committee set investigate orange society select committee published report cabinet council held foreign office purpose agreeing term resolution submitted house common lord john russell secretary state home department feb resolution stated opinion house existence political society ireland consisting exclusively person preferring one religious faith using secret sign symbol acting mean affiliated branch tend injure peace society – derogate authority crown weaken supremacy law impair religious freedom majesty subject part united kingdom humble address presented majesty laying foregoing resolution praying majesty take step discouragement society may seem majesty desirable secretary state read following response king house common thursday feb william rex – willing assert prayer faithful common pleased take measure shall seem advisable effectual discouragement orange lodge generally political society excluding person different religious persuasion using sign symbol acting mean associated lodge firm intention discourage society rely confidence upon fidelity loyal subject support determination following day lord russell read response grand master orange order duke cumberland brother king william iv house common february said received lordship letter copy resolution house common subject orange lodge together majesty gracious answer received lordship communication already taken step several influential member recommend immediate dissolution conformity wish expressed majesty shall take legal step dissolve orange lodge grand orange lodge ireland met dublin april voted favour dissolving organisation however orangeman portadown met secret resolved set provisional grand lodge town british government policy banning sectarian parade eventually overturned campaign defiance led william johnston ballykilbeg st government northern ireland passed civil authority special power act northern ireland allowed home affair minister virtually anything thought necessary preserve law order next thirty year used many time ban reroute nationalist republican leftwing parade march meeting government passed public order act required parade organiser give police fortyeight hour notice intent parade local head police could ban reroute parade felt might lead breach public order exception rule funeral parade normally held along particular route since orange parade allowed along route without interference year essentially meant orange parade exempt give notice new act used disproportionately nationalist parade although time time minister attempted stop unionist group parading predominantly nationalist area always met fierce hostility orange order often within ulster unionist party made government several home affair minister forced make public apology interfering unionist parade two brian maginess wwb topping moved position banning unionist band parade late parading marching became much fraught issue public order act used numerous march issue parading allowed march area became even heated apprentice boy parade derry led known battle bogside considered many mark start trouble several monthslong ban parading made early although none covered main protestant parading period special power public order act modified several occasion several area focus disproportionate amount conflict parading include derry ormeau road belfast especially drumcree area portadown drumcree conflict flared mid mid late dispute whether orange order allowed parade mainly nationalist area often accompanied severe violence group republican activist town researched history sectarian violence area part campaign drumcree orange march banned nationalist part portadown finding distributed visiting journalist presented abridged form parade commission set british government attempt deal contentious parade parade commission power ban restrict reroute impose condition parade northern ireland orange order refused acknowledge commission authority although lodge involved drumcree dispute recently agreed principle negotiate according parade commission total parade counting funeral held northern ireland following table group parade type sponsoring organisation police service northern ireland us different statistic recorded total parade loyalist nationalist neither four illegal three nationalist parade rerouted two one nationalist one loyalist parade condition imposed loyalist nationalist one neither disorder occurred ten parade nine loyalist one nationalist significant decline previous year disorder recorded parade banner northern ireland drumcree conflict nationalist riot northern ireland neil jarman extract material conflict parade visual display northern ireland key date parading calendar cain web service irish emergency parade committee ipec brehan law society international observer breannual report marching season –