A glorious Twelfth, marred by horrifying Eleventh night injury

News Letter editorial of Tuesday July 13 2021:
News Letter editorialNews Letter editorial
News Letter editorial

For the second year in a row, the Twelfth has been significantly curtailed due to coronavirus.

Celebrations, however, were nonetheless on a much larger scale yesterday than last year, as the UK’s successful vaccine rollout helps to constrain the pandemic and makes gatherings safer.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Orange Order and its many followers across Northern Ireland have set an exemplary standard.

Amid fine summer conditions, small parades were held in multiple locations, rather than the usual 18 main venues, which would attract very large crowds.

The weather was good, almost too good, and positively hot by Northern Ireland standards. It was a stroke of good fortune that no parades were marching as far as they normally do on July 12, which in Belfast for example is ordinarily a tiring walk of several miles to the field and several miles back.

In the middle of today’s newspaper, we have a picture supplement of 24 pages, which conveys some of the joy of the day.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

However, the celebrations were marked by a horrifying incident in which a boy was burned at the bonfire in Ballysillan in north Belfast, and is now in a critical condition.

This is a shocking reminder of the immense danger in lighting large bonfires, and the particular hazards of adding accelerant. Intensive annual advice should be dispensed in community areas of the risks of building and handling fires.

We wish the injured youth a full recovery.

Overall, the loyal orders have shown once again that the Twelfth is happy, colourful family day out.

The responsible organisation of celebrations last year and again yesterday is in welcome contrast to the republican mass breach of social distancing at an IRA funeral days before the 2020 Twelfth. Any temptation to discard advice on crowd gatherings, however understandable given the failure of the authorities to hold anybody accountable for that scandal, was rightly resisted this year.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Meanwhile, it is encouraging to hear Mervyn Gibson being optimistic about the coming 100 years for Northern Ireland and the Orange.

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Ben Lowry

Acting Editor