« ... and the bad | Destroying The Mood » |
12th July in Belfast
As I mentioned earlier, I was out taking a few pictures of the 12th July parade in Belfast today as it made its way towards the field.
While the steady drizzle was a slight disappointment after the beautiful sunshine of last years parade, it didn't seem to deter the crowds at all who, as usual, seemed to get caught up in the atmosphere and not notice themselves encroach further into the road with every passing band.
As well as the bands themselves there were a couple of floats this year; their inclusion aimed at broadening the appeal of the parade (the "floats" could perhaps more accurately described as hauliage lorries with the sides off, but the concept worked). One featured an Ulster-Scots folk band while a second carried an English drum band. As well as the local bands there seemed to be more than ever from Scotland this year, particularly Glasgow.
This year being the 90th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme set the theme for this year's parade, and one band was led by two men in the uniforms of the YCV and 36th Ulster Division from World War One and there were flags to both groups of volunteers at various intervals along the parade.
316 orange and purple balloons were released in the city centre - one for each year that has passed since 1690. Lord Laird was interviewed on TV, dressed in a 17th Century costume, and encouraged people to be proud of their heritage.
"This is a day which celebrates our culture - we are proud of our Ulster-Scots and Orange background. We want people to come out and join us, and people who don't know what we are about to come and understand who we are."
Lord Laird, Parade Organiser
It seems that most of the marches have so far gone ahead without much trouble (touch wood), despite the fact that restrictions have been imposed on a parade in Ardoyne and nationalist protesters blocked a feeder parade in Maghera.
I should add that, while I didn't hear any Billy Boys this year, I did notice one silly bitch (not part of the parade) wearing a UFF flag like a cape, but I suppose every long journey takes a lot of small steps.