Tourism post that blanked Twelfth on Eleventh Night 'aimed at future weeks' - yet boosted events just days away
A social media post issued on the Eleventh Night that blanked the Twelfth was aimed at people thinking of visiting “in future weeks”, a tourism body has maintained – even though it plugged a festival that started just seven days later.
Discover Northern Ireland boosted seven events in Northern Ireland’s capital city that take place over July, August and September, stating “Belfast’s Summer calendar is packed” and adding the hashtags ‘my giant adventure’ and ‘embrace a giant spirit’.
Events included the West Belfast Feile, which in the past has been controversial due to booking high-profile shows from republican bands such as Kneecap and the Wolfe Tones, as well as the city’s LGBT Pride festival – which this year has barred all five Stormont Executive parties as an act of political protest over the banning of puberty blockers for children.
As the News Letter revealed at the start of this week, missing were the city’s huge Twelfth celebrations, as well as the family-friendly Orangefest designed to be a tourist draw in Belfast.
Sparking fury, the post went up shortly after 3pm on July 11, just as the whole of Northern Ireland got ready for the biggest day in the Orange calendar.
Tourism NI, which runs Discover NI, now says the social media post “was aimed at those thinking about taking a short break in Northern Ireland in future weeks, highlighting a selection of the events due to take place at that time”.
A spokeswoman added: “The Twelfth of July celebrations were promoted by Tourism Northern Ireland on our consumer website, DiscoverNorthernIreland.com.”
However, two of the events boosted by the tourism body began just seven days after the post went up.
Both Pride and Belfast Whiskey Week kicked off on July 18 – Pride with an awards bash in city hall and a talk on the life of the 17th century king of Scotland and England, James VI and I, while the whiskey week held a number of walking tours and tasting events.
Three more of the seven promoted festivals begin next weekend.
The TUV’s culture spokesperson, Mid and East Antrim councillor Matthew Warwick, felt Tourism NI’s explanation “does not hold water”, adding it is “wholly inadequate and insulting” to a unionist community angered by the absence of the Twelfth.
“This post promoted Belfast Pride, beginning just seven days later, which means it was perfectly relevant to highlight events within a week,” he said. “Yet the biggest cultural celebration in Northern Ireland, taking place the very next day, was omitted.
“Further, Feile an Phobail – an event with a Republican ethos that remains controversial – got space while the Twelfth, a cultural mainstay for the British community in Ulster, got nothing.
“Directing people to a website after the fact is no defence. Social media is the primary promotional tool for modern tourism bodies. This was a high-profile post on the eve of the Twelfth, and the decision not to even acknowledge the largest annual festival on our calendar was an act of cultural exclusion.”
Arguing that it’s one more thing on the pile for people who feel their culture is being marginalised, he stated: “If devolved institutions can’t even acknowledge the Twelfth of July, unionists need to seriously ask what benefit devolution brings to our community at all.”