The Twelfth: Bands parade through villages, housing estates ... and a field!

One of the bands taking part were happy to be involved in any kind of march after their trip to Canada to take part in North America’s longest running procession was cancelled due to coronavirus.

Portadown True Blues Flute Band secretary Stephen Woods said: “We were meant to go on Wednesday to take part in the Twelfth celebrations in Canada.

“It was a big event for their 200th anniversary, but unfortunately it had to be called off.”

Portadown True Blues first marched in Toronto in 1982 and then again in 1989 when over 50 members of the band travelled over 3,000 miles to parade.

Stephen said: “They’ve invited us back next year. We’ll have to wait and see how that works out.”

Speaking to the News Letter during the parade he said: “It’s been going well. People are listening to advice.

“We’ve been going around the estates and anybody who’s not from the estates who have come to watch have stayed in their cars.

“There’s nobody following the parade, everybody is sticking to the rules.”

He said the six bands taking part started at five-minute intervals and band numbers were limited to 30.

Stephen said he hadn’t missed parading this year until the Twelfth came around: “I’d been saying all year that I haven’t missed the parades every weekend, but I was looking forward to this one, getting all the boys back together.

“It’s like a reunion. There’s some of the boys I haven’t seen since last year.

“It’s good to get back together, have a bit of craic and catch up.”

Elsewhere in Co Armagh, a flute band took a slightly less conventional route.

Paul Elliott, band leader of Drumderg Flute Band from Keady, explained: “We gathered the band up at Drumderg Orange Hall and believe it or not we paraded around a field.

“Right beside Drumderg Orange Hall there’s some land belonging to one of the lodge members. Thankfully we got a loan of that field for the morning, we got the band gathered up and we marched around it.

“That’s how we got the boys a bit of exercise. That’s been our first parade of 2020.

“There were a few people who came in their cars and stayed in their cars to watch the band.”

Before that band members had gathered to walk their traditional Twelfth morning route.

Paul said: “At 9.30am we walked, in civilian clothes, our traditional route from Drumderg Orange Hall to Annvale which is about four miles.”

The plan for later in the day was to have a barbecue at Paul’s house before parading through an Armagh housing estate: “We’ll have a bite to eat, a bit of a mingle, some fellowship between the boys then we’ll parade again.

“It was actually a request from people in the local estate that we parade there.

“It’s very important that we mark the Twelfth. It’s the 330th anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne and we believe we’ve done our best to mark it.”

In nearby Tandragee Lambeg drums could be heard from an early hour today.

With 21 lodges scattered across the famous hills of Tandragee the town and rural hinterland is an historic Orange stronghold with most of the lodges more into Lambeg drums than bands.

An early wreath-laying ceremony was conducted at the war memorial by Tandragee district officers and, when the Lambeg drums appeared later on the streets with the local Maevemacullen accordion band, large crowds of spectators had gathered, carefully social distanced, to mark the Twelfth in somewhat bizarre circumstances.

For most of the day, as the Tandragee brethren gathered at the various Orange halls for big breakfasts and barbecues, the flavour of the day was to celebrate the Twelfth with fervour and pride even if unprecedented restrictions were in place.

Orangemen in Bessbrook got the Twelfth off to the best possible start with a big breakfast, but sadly no marching took place to allow them to burn off their Ulster fries.

Members of Bessbrook Purple Star LOL 959 met for breakfast in Bessbrook Orange hall while members of Bessbrook Star of Hope Temperance LOL No 927 were fed and watered at a different venue.

Harry McKelvey, who organised the big breakfast for Bessbrook Purple Star LOL 959 along with his wife Sharon, said: “We plated up 40 breakfasts – cooked by my wife, my sister and my daughter.

“We fed the whole lodge.

“Normally we’d do a bacon bap but this was a full breakfast.”

As well as the two breakfasts in Bessbrook, local flute band Bessbrook True Blues paraded the village and there was a Lambeg drumming display in the grounds of the Orange hall.

Harry, who joined the lodge in 1980 when he was 16, said: “It was a bit of a funny day, but we had to do it to keep the fellowship going. Sure we’ll be back at full strength next year.”

He added: “There will still be plenty of stories to tell about this Twelfth, just no marching this year.”