The Orange Day Parades

Orange Day, July 12 is a big day for the majority of the residents of Northern Ireland.

WARNING: Mini History Lesson to follow

In 1690, King James II, a Catholic who had been deposed in 1688 by his Dutch son-in-law, William III, attempted to reclaim the throne. James had many supporters in Ireland and was amassing an army with the help of his cousin, Louis XIV of France. Although they may not have realized it at the time, the critical outcome of this meeting between James and William was whether Ireland (and the rest of the British Empire for that matter) would be Catholic or Protestant.

Long story short . . . William won. Protestant rule.

July 12 is the modern calendar date upon which this momentous battle took place. It is the day that Protestants all over Northern Ireland march, and celebrate throughout the country. There are 12 County Grand Lodges, 125 District Lodges, and 1134 Private Lodges throughout Northern Ireland. Throughout late spring and summer, there are hundreds of parades. These parades and the bands that participate are part of the Orange Order. The parades intensify and culminate during the height of Marching Season beginning on July 1—the day we arrived in Belfast. They peak on July 12.

The Belfast Orange Day Parade goes right past our flat at the end of Lisburn Road just outside the Loyalist/Unionist community of Sandy Row. After the bonfires of the previous night, people partied in the streets until morning. At about 8:00 a.m., the crowds and their beverages and lawn chairs started showing up to claim a spot on the street outside out flat. By the time the parades started at 10:00 a.m., many people had already been drinking since 8:00am. Although public drinking in this area is not legal, police turn a blind eye that day to public drinking and intoxication. I am told that outside of the city, parades are much calmer.

At 10:45, the first of the bands made their way to the end of Lisburn Rd. Band after band went by in a seemingly endless stream: bands from Orange Lodges all over Belfast, from Canada, Scotland, and England. After about 2 hours, the last band passed. I expected people to go home. After all, these people had partied through the night. But they didn’t. They stayed and drank, and drank some more, and . . .well, you get the picture. They stayed for four hours. I was surprised that, despite all of the drinking, there were no fights, no arguments, no violence.

About 4:30, the bands came back. This time, they were more animated, loose, some wearing silly hats and dancing. Spectators would rush into the street to hug and kiss friends and family members who were marching. They were singing along with the tunes played by the drums and flutes.

When the final band passed, the crowd dispersed leaving behind and unbelievable amount of trash—mostly in the form of alcoholic beverage containers. There was a solid layer of containers on either side of the street extending two or three feet into the roadway. Cars going by would occasionally run over a bottle sending a spray of glass shards onto unwitting nearby pedestrians.

These parades are being promoted by the City as a celebration of Protestant culture and a family day. However, there is an unmistakable undercurrent of “claiming turf” and a show of intimidation. In some parts of Belfast and other parts of Northern Ireland, Orange Lodges insist on their right to march through Catholic neighborhoods. These parades are seen in Catholic areas as provocation.

But here in Belfast, it was just a big party.