Orangemen set to march to mark Twelfth of July in Northern Ireland
Monday, July 12, 2021
By Jonathan McCambridge, PA
Thousands of Orange Order members will take to the streets across Northern Ireland later to mark the main date in the Protestant loyal order parading season.
This year’s Twelfth of July parades will be smaller than usual and locally based due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The normal 18 main events have been replaced by more than 100 local parades.
The Order said organising smaller parades was the best way to ensure the demonstrations went ahead.
The Twelfth parades mark the victory of Protestant King William of Orange over Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne, north of Dublin, in 1690 — a triumph that secured a Protestant line of succession to the British Crown.