July 12th is the day when all good protestants in Northern Ireland remember with pride King William’s victory at the battle of the Boyne. Bonfires are lit, parades close off streets and drunken revelry is the norm.
It recently got rebranded as ‘Orangefest’ just to confuse citrus loving tourists, but the sashes of the Loyal Orange Lodges, and the bowler hats they wear as they march to the sound of drums and pipe bands, soon reveal the historic nature of the occasion. Paramilitary organisations and their heroes are commemorated on the regalia of some band members. This makes it harder for all members of the community to come out and enjoy the spectacle.
In fact yesterday was the Sabbath, and as usual Belfast remained reverently hushed until the bars and shops opened at 1pm. Even then the streets had few cars, and only one or two bands paraded when I crossed town on my bicycle.
‘Twelfth fortnight’ describes the annual holidays that many people take to get away from the triumphalism of loyalists. To those of us who remain, and are not huge bonfire enthusiasts, there is a strange, tense atmosphere and the semblance of a ghost town – I’ll have the Specials please.
odespinner 