Coronavirus: Orange Grand Secretary says Eleventh Night bonfires will be small private affairs for many families

The Grand Secretary of the Orange Order was speaking after it was announced that, for the first time in generations, there will be no Orange parades on the Twelfth of July due to the coronavirus crisis.

The Grand Master of the Orange Institution Edward Stevenson made the announcement today.

The move comes after consultation with Grand Masters in England and Scotland.

The institution, which was founded in 1795, said that there are some precendents for this mass cancellation.

In a statement it said that “parades were not held for a time during the First and Second World Wars, or during the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918”.

Parades had been set to take place at 17 venues right across Northern Ireland and also in Rossnowlagh, Donegal, and the Order said the main parades were due to be in Armagh city and Belfast.

There were already eight applications for parades registered with the Parades Commission for the Twelfth.

Rev Gibson told the BBC this afternoon it is indeed a cancellation of the Twelfth, not a postponement.

He called upon members of the Orange fraternity to get involved in aiding their local communities during this time of crisis.

Asked about the subject of Eleventh Night bonfires, he responded: “I suspect many people have a small bonfire in their own back garden, and that’s the way it’ll be for many of us.

“But I certainly don’t want to see crowds gathering of any description, particularly around bonfires... we’re supposed to be social distancing.

“We were looking at alternative ways to celebrate the Twelfth online, and what we can do to keep everyone busy in the run-up to it.

“I think there’ll be plenty of time after this to celebrate our traditional anniversaries. Indeed those who fought at the Boyne gave up their day and fought a particular cause.

“We’re asking people to fight a cause today, and that’s coronavirus.

“And after that we will celebrate how it was beaten, and also commemorate those who sadly will not get through this time.”

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