'Powerful crowds and a lovely seaside venue, you couldn’t ask for anything better': Ballywalter Twelfth brings all the fun of the fair to coastal village

Thousands of people crowded streets in the small village on the coast of Co Down’s Ards Peninsula, turning out to see a host of bands march through its centre.

The village was arguably busier than it has ever been, it’s businesses doing a roaring trade as the sun shone down. Ice cream shops and fish and chip takeaways were rushed off their feet, and even Ballywalter’s sole branch of Spar was so packed it was forced to put two members of staff on the door to impose a strict queueing system and one-in one-out policy.

It was the first time the village has hosted the Twelfth since the year 2000, and locals were clearly hungry for the chance to see it again.

For some of the younger ones, it was the first time in their lives that the big day was literally on their doorstep, and with the current blue skies and baking heat villagers were keen to make the most of it.

The parade, walking a short loop from the field through the heart of Ballywalter and back, passed though a couple residential areas where households broke out the barbecues and bouncy castles in their front yards and gardens, inviting friends and relatives over to make a day of it.

Some familiar faces were present; both area MP Jim Shannon and local hero Aaron Beggs, who hit the headlines in April when he sacrificed a personal best to help a stricken fellow runner cross the finishing line at the Boston Marathon, were spotted on the route with their respective lodges.

Out in front of the parade were Ards and North Down’s mayor Craig Blaney and deputy mayor James Cochrane – a first time marching for the Ulster Unionist mayor, who isn’t an Orangeman, though his DUP deputy has proudly worn the sash for close to 10 years.

Speaking in the field after the event, a busy site of family fun offering fairground rides and food stalls as well as a chance to bask in the sun, Mr Blaney told the News Letter: “I had a fantastic time; the amount of people lining the streets, the families, the jovial atmosphere was just incredible.

"Being right up at the front, I just felt it was a real honour. Even in the field here now, with the weather the way it’s been you couldn’t ask for a better day.”

Mr Cochrane is a member of a lodge in Bangor, a much more built-up locale around half an hour’s drive from Ballywalter. As much as he loved being in prime position, it did take him away from his brethren as his own lodge was further back.

“I’ll have to do a bit of making up with them later on,” he joked, “but it was a great honour.

“Powerful crowds and a lovely seaside venue, you couldn’t ask for anything better.”

The day was Mr Cochrane’s first time marching in Ballywalter, and he certainly felt it held up compared to the more urban locales he’s used to.

He said: “You’d possibly think a small village could struggle to attract the crowds, but it’s been incredible. People have come from here, there and everywhere to support the Twelfth.”

Indeed, Ballywalter could perhaps be regarded as a victim of its own success, at least for out-of-towners.

The village really is tiny, sporting just a handful of shops and home to only around 2,000 people – and several times that amount thronged the area to watch the bands, more than a handful of them making the trip over from Scotland.

The result was chaotic; during the morning the police sealed off all roads into Ballywalter, setting up diversions that sent motorists trying to get to the parade around winding, narrow country lanes.

People were forced to park on remote rural roads up to two miles away from the village and hoof it in, which did lead to some grumbling about the organisation and infrastructure available.

For Mr Shannon, his trek around Ballywalter was the capstone to an extended Twelfth period featuring a long weekend of community events and family fun days across his constituency.

“I have come away filled with an immense sense of pride in our people,” he said.

“The past few days have been the real face of our community – warm, welcoming and deeply rooted in looking out for one another.”