Belfast Orange chief hails city's Somme parade as remembrance marches held across Northern Ireland
The Orange county grand master of Belfast has hailed the vast parade through the east of the city – one of several marches marking the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.
Spencer Beattie said the mood in Belfast had been “buoyant” despite the wet weather on Wednesday night, with a huge turnout – roughly half of what the city sees for its colossal annual Twelfth parade.
There had also been parades in Limavady (10 bands), Omagh (12 bands), and many other locations throughout the Province to honour those who took part in the battle exactly 110 years earlier.
Wreaths were laid at war memorials around the country, though in Londonderry some were stolen and vandalised.
Mr Beattie (a member of LOL 1869 in north Belfast’s Clifton Street hall) had been at the Belfast parade and said: “Other than the weather, it was a great night.
"The parade length at any given point was one hour, 20 minutes – 30-plus bands there, plus various lodges with them.
"Our normal Twelfth parade would have about 6,500 people on parade. Last night would’ve been roughly half that.
“The mood from when we met to when we moved off was buoyant, and throughout the whole parade there were crowds all enjoying the spectacle of the parade.”
Though often given the nickname “the mini-Twelfth”, organisers stress that it has a specific purpose: commemorating the Somme (though Mr Beattie said “the public will use whatever term they’re comfortable with”).
"The signifcance of the event is to pay tribute to the fallen of the Somme in 1916.
"That was started many years ago by the members of Ballymacarrett [an east Belfast district], and that’s proceeded to where we are today.
"It’s commemorating the sacrifice of so many thousands of Ulstermen.
"We as an institution always welcome the support of the public, and the organisers of Ballymacarrett put a lot of effort in to make sure it was a successful and enjoyable event for all participants.”
Londonderry’s cenotaph, like many others, saw a wreath-laying ceremony staged on Wednesday.
But afterwards, Foyle DUP MLA Julie Middleton said wreaths were kicked over, and four were stolen.
She called it “deeply disappointing, although sadly not surprising”.
She added: “Regardless of political opinion or constitutional aspiration, there should be a basic standard of decency and respect for places of remembrance.
"The Cenotaph should never become the target of vandalism, theft or political point-scoring.
"I hope those responsible are identified and held accountable.
"Acts such as this have no place in a shared society and deserve to be unequivocally condemned.”