Apprentice Boys to Junior Orange: Your guide to Northern Ireland’s Easter marches

The marches range from republican 1916 Rising commemorations to junior loyalist ones, with the bulk taking place on Monday.

All in all, they amount to 105 separate marches, as registered with the Parades Commission.

GOOD FRIDAY:

Starting tomorrow (Good Friday), there will be a smattering of small-scale parades across the Province, which will be largely church-based and cross-community in nature.

One typical example is the ‘Falls/Shankill Churches Together’ parade, estimated to be 50-strong and going from the Catholic Clonard district at 4.45pm to the Protestant Shankill, then back at 6pm.

SATURDAY:

But from Saturday there will be a slew of much bigger parades, such as this trio of loyalist ones:

11 bands will be on parade between 7pm to 10pm in Randalstown on Saturday;

Two will be on parade between 2pm and 3.30pm for in Banbridge that day, run by the West Down Somme Association;

And a whopping 27 will be on parade between 7pm and 11pm in the east coast village of Annalong.

Saturday will also see the beginnings of republican Easter Rising marches, most notably one from the South Armagh Memorial Committee in Mullaghbawn, from 7-8pm, estimated to involve some 1,800 participants.

EASTER SUNDAY:

Sunday will see 20 republican parades taking place from noon to late into the evening, six of which are in the early afternoon in Belfast.

Two of the biggest republican parades will be Sinn Fein ones: one in rural south-east Fermanagh between 3-4.30pm and involving 700 participants, and another with the same number of participants in Carrickmore village, mid-Tyrone, from 2-4.30pm.

EASTER MONDAY:

But Easter Bank Holiday Monday will be by far the busiest day, with 54 parades in all – 30 of which are Apprentice Boys ones.

Here, the News Letter lists all the parades that day in Northern Ireland:

ABOD Campsie Club Castlederg, Castlederg, 09:00:00

Tyrone National Graves Association, Carrickmore, 15:00:00

Apprentice Boys of Derry, Mitchelburne, Castlederg, 17:00-18:00

Broomhedge ABOD No Surrender Club, Broomhedge, 14:30:00

National Republican Commemoration, Londonderry, 15:00:00

Apprentice Boys of Derry, Enniskillen, 19:00:00

Clonduff Vintage & Classic Club, Hilltown, 12:30:00

Mitchelburne Club ABOD Kesh, Kesh, 08:15:00

Morris Minor Owners Club, Belfast, 11:00:00

Ligoniel Walker Club ABOD, Belfast, 10:30:00

South Belfast Young Conquerors FB, Belfast, 07:45:00

South Belfast Young Conquerors FB, Belfast, 13:45:00

ABOD Belfast & District Amalgamation, Belfast, 12:30:00

Carrickfergus Campsie Club, Carrickfergus, 15:30:00

ABOD Shankill Road Campsie Club, Belfast, 11:15:00

New Lodge Commemoration Committee, Belfast, 13:30:00

Apprentice Boys Of Derry, Belfast, 11:45:00

Apprentice Boys of Derry, Belfast, 11:00:00

Clifton Street ABOD, Belfast, 11:00:00

Sandy Row Mitchelburne Blue, Belfast, 11:15:00

Campsie Club, Belfast (Whiterock FB), Belfast, 11:15:00

Belfast Walker Club, Belfast, 09:30:00

ABOD Clounagh Campsie Club, Portadown, 09:30:00

Portadown ABOD Branch Club, Portadown, 10:00:00

Kevin Lynch Memorial Flute Band, Dungiven, 17:30:00

Ballycraigy Sons of Ulster, Antrim, 19:00:00

Apprentice Boys of Derry, Muckamore, Antrim, 11:00:00

ABOD Campsie Club Rasharkin, Rasharkin, 09:30:00

Sons of Ireland, Rasharkin, 11:00:00

ABOD 1st Rathcoole, Ballyclare, 10:00:00

Ballyeaston Baker Club, Ballyclare, 10:00:00

Ballynahinch Apprentice Boys, Ballynahinch, 09:00:00

ABOD Larne Walker Club, Larne, 09:00:00

Apprentice Boys of Derry Browning Club, Dundonald, 10:15:00

ABOD Bryansford Branch, Newcastle, 09:30:00

Apprentice Boys of Derry, Ballymoney, 09:30:00

Armagh Commemoration Committee, Armagh, 14:00:00

Lisburn ABOD, Lisburn, 08:30:00

Moneymore Young Farmers, Magherafelt, 11:00:00

ABOD Lurgan, Lurgan, 08:30:00

Apprentice Boys of Derry, Newtownards, 10:15:00

ABOD Murray Club Crumlin Branch, Crumlin, 09:30:00

ABOD Bangor Browning Club, Bangor, 09:45:00

Woodburn Browning Club, Carrickfergus, 10:00:00

Ballymacarrett Defenders Flute Band, East Belfast, 10:30:00

ABOD Belfast Browning Club, East Belfast, 11:00:00

Apprentice Boys of Derry Brownin, East Belfast, 14:30:00

Counties Derry & Antrim Republic, Swatragh, 14:30:00

Sons of Kai Flute Band, Newtownabbey, 08:30:00

Two Castles CDA, Newtownstewart, 13:00:00

ABOD Newtownstewart, Newtownstewart, 08:30:00

Republican Socialist Commemoration, Roslea, 14:45:00

South Derry Martyrs Flute Band, Maghera, 16:30:00

ABOD Dunmurry Campsie, Seymour Hill, 14:45:00

PARADES COMMISSION RULINGS:

Seven of the above Bank Holiday Monday parades have been deemed ‘sensitive’, namely:

The Apprentice Boys Belfast Browning Club parade, Dundonald, 10.15am.

It will pass a “sensitive interface” at the Short Strand (a Catholic-dominated enclave, surrounded by Protestant east Belfast).

As such the Parades Commission has let it go ahead unrestricted, but with the proviso that all involved must be well behaved.

Apprentice Boys of Derry Campsie Club, Castlederg, 9am.

A half-hour-long mini-parade, prior to marchers departing for Belfast in order to take part in larger-scale demonstrations.

Whilst recognising there is a “strain” on community relations in the town, the Parades Commission has given it the all-clear, but stressed that it expects good behaviour.

The Belfast Campsie Club (Whiterock FB), west Belfast, 11.15am.

As with the above Browning Club march, it will pass an area of east Belfast deemed sensitive, namely the Short Strand, so the commission has stressed good behaviour must be shown on the day.

Ballymacarrett Defenders Flute Band, east Belfast, 10.30am.

Once again, deemed sensitive because it will pass the Short Strand.

The commission says only a single drumbeat is to be played in this area on the outbound route.

National Republican Commemoration, Londonderry, 3pm.

Deemed sensitive due to it being on the third anniversary of the murder of Lyra McKee.

Will set off from around Free Derry Corner going to the city cemetery.

It has been given the go-ahead with the proviso that all involved are to behave well and obey any police instructions.

Apprentice Boys of Derry, Mitchelburne Club, Garvetagh Branch, Castlederg, 5pm.

Taking place in the mixed village of Castlederg, it is dubbed sensitive, but has been given the OK so long as there is good behaviour.

Clifton Branch ABOD, north Belfast, 11am.

This will go from Clifton Street Orange Hall, at the Carlisle Circus Shankill / New Lodge interface, to Belfast city centre, returning for 3pm.

The Parades Commission has ruled that a single drumbeat only is to be played in the Westlink/Clifton Street to Union Street/Donegal Street area, on both the outward and return routes.

It also says “no supporters shall accompany the parade” along this stretch either, both when the parade leaves and returns.

JUNIORS’ TUESDAY:

On Tuesday, apart from a Lambeg drumming contest in Cookstown, two republican marches in north and west Belfast, and a trio of car / bike shows, there are seven junior loyal order parades listed.

They are:

1) Ballymacarrett Junior District LOL 3, east Belfast, outward at 11.30am, ending at 5pm, involving four bands;

2) Whiterock Junior LOL 87, north-west Belfast, out 10am, ending 5.30pm, with one band (called Britannia);

3) No1 Junior Orange District, north-west Belfast to the city centre, 10.30am out, 5.15pm end, one band (Britannia);

4) Belfast Junior County Lodge, Ballynafeigh Orange Hall (Ormeau Road) to Cregagh Youth and Community Centre, out 1pm, end 5.30pm, six bands;

5) Young Mens Junior LOL 76, east Belfast, a short parade rom 10.45pm with Parkinson Accordion Band, returning 5.10pm;

6) Very short parade of No 1 Junior District, west Belfast, Shankill Road. March will be in east Belfast from 4pm to 4.15pm, with the band Britannia;

7) Cloughfern Junior Williamites Junior LOL 58, taking place in the Rathcoole area of Whiteabbey. Outward at 10am, ending 6pm, with one band: The Billy Boys.

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