Sharp drop in bonfire callouts as a smaller than usual eleventh night is celebrated across Northern Ireland

Blazes were lit in loyalist areas as the annual July tradition took place amid coronavirus restrictions.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said crews responded to 24 bonfire related incidents between 6pm on Saturday and 1am on Sunday — a 29.5% decrease compared to 2019.

The spokesman added that no attacks on personnel or appliances were reported.

Ahead of the Eleventh Night fires, politicians and community leaders had urged people to avoid mass gatherings and stick to Covid-19 regulations that limit outdoor gatherings to no more than 30 people.

Many of the fires were cancelled during the Covid-19 lockdown, with a number of sites cleared of wood by the local authorities.

The recent easing of restrictions in Northern Ireland led to some reversing the decision to cancel.

But a range of voices, including the loyalist Jamie Bryson in this newspaper (see link below), had urged anyone lighting a fire to make sure it was small and attended by few people.

Speaking to the News Letter this morning, after the restricted celebrations overnight, he said: “There was a big increase in small street bonfires, often accompanied by street parties. This was great to see, and it’s something I hope will continue going forward.

“For the most part it seems that the bonfire celebrations were peaceful, positive and adhered to the Covid 19 Regulations.

“I think the PUL (Protestant, Unionist, Loyalist) community displayed positive leadership. There was a significant number of people wanted to hold bonfires, and attempting to stop that would have amounted to coercive control, which everyone wants to eradicate.

“I think the best approach was to display positive guidelines and encourage people to celebrate, but to do so safely and sensibly and I think that message resonated”

While there were fewer fires than usual, significant crowds did gather at several of the bonfires that went ahead.

Crowds well in excess of 30 were witnessed at a number of fires that were lit late on Saturday night.

Some of the larger bonfire builders also appear to have been motivated amid loyalist anger over a controversy that saw hundreds of republicans acting in alleged variance with the regulations to gather in west Belfast last month for the funeral of IRA veteran Bobby Storey.

The Rev Mervyn Gibson, from Westbourne Presbyterian Church, acknowledged public anger following alleged social-distancing breaches during the Storey funeral.

He said his community cared too much about Northern Ireland to risk everyone’s health by restoring Eleventh Night pyres.

Mr Gibson added: “We do not want to mimic their bad behaviour.”

In north Belfast, there was a second night of sporadic disorder close to a community interface as police came under attack from petrol bombers in the nationalist New Lodge close to a bonfire in the loyalist Tiger’s Bay area.

Bonfires are torched in loyalist communities across the Province every July 11 to usher in the main date in the Protestant loyal order parading season, the Twelfth of July.

The Orange Order has cancelled its plans for traditional mass Twelfth of July parades and demonstrations, which were scheduled to take place on Monday July 13th due to the fact the 12th falls on a Sunday.

Some loyalist bands are planning to take part in localised events in Monday, urging people to stay in their homes while they parade past.

Jamie Bryson: Loyalists should celebrate safely, and do nothing to divert gaze from appalling Sinn Fein conduct

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