500,000 attend Orange Order parades across Northern Ireland.

[Yorkshireman]

Thousands of Orangemen and supporters have been attending the annual 12th of July parades in Northern Ireland.

The parades mark the 318th anniversary of the battle of the Boyne in which William of Orange defeated King James. The main parades were at 18 venues across the province with Belfast attracting the largest.

This years parade in the capital, billed as Orange Fest 2008, is now the largest street festival in Britain outside the Notting Hill carnival.

Some of these vids are from last year as the newsest are not up on Youtube yet. Featured mainly are my favourites the Shankill Protestant Boys, one of the biggest bands in Ulster.

[Ulyaoth]

pfft, you silly little irish trying to copy America with your 'twelth of july'. Silly.

[Yorkshireman]

pfft, you silly little irish trying to copy America with your 'twelth of july'. Silly.

Yeah, they started copying it one hundred years before yours!

[Yorkshireman]

Yeah it's like a KKK rally without the hoods. You gotta love it when people celebrate hundreds of years of grotesque social injustice ---

Ever attended a 12th of July parade ? A real one in Northern Ireland ? No, I did'nt think so. Do 1/2 million people usually attend KKK rallies. No I don't think so.

Uninformed, ignorant comments. (+ stupid smiley)

[shadepanther]

The parades were actually very peaceful. The 11th night had a bit of trouble but when you put Alcohol and Bonfires together you're bound to have trouble.

The parades on the 12th actually did not originally celebrate the Battle of the Boyne. The 12th of July was the date of the Battle of Aughrim (which was the bloodiest battle in Ireland as well as being the decisive battle of the war) in the old Julian Calendar.
With the change to the Gregorian calendar the Battle of the Boyne was moved tot he 12th of July. The Orangemen decided to celebrate this battle instead as the Jacobite Irish were seen as more cowardly as they ran away at the end of the battle, whereas they fought honourably to the death at Aughrim.

[Kleos]

Great events, I'd love to go over to Ulster, went to a similar Orange parade in Scotland; but I can only imagine what the atmosphere is like over there.

pfft, you silly little irish trying to copy America with your 'twelth of july'. Silly.

They are
a) British
b) Celebrating an event that happened in 1690 (which is before the formation of the USA...)
c) And have been celebrating this since 1691

[Erik]

pfft, you silly little irish trying to copy America with your 'twelth of july'. Silly.

And with the French celebrating the 14th of July, I think July is quickly running out of "national" days.

Anyways, what was so great about being defeated by the Dutch, again?

[Carach]

pfft, you silly little irish trying to copy America with your 'twelth of july'. Silly.

i bet someone feels a bit silly now..

[Cliomhdubh]

yorshire man

Very similar to St. Patricks day.

umm celebrating irishness and celbrating britishness seem completley the opposite in my mind but then again i am a nationalist

Uninformed, ignorant comments. (+ stupid smiley)

pretty accurate ever wonder why it was alway one of the major flaspoints of the troubles

lozz

i dont think there are any legal issues stopping them

common sense would be one, celebrating a war which resulted in opression of irish and its catholic along with the massacres of the war always semmed to me it would be like celebrating the anniversery of the holocost every year by the germans

[Carach]

yorshire man

umm celebrating irishness and celbrating britishness seem completley the opposite in my mind but then again i am a nationalist

because Britain's so evil.....damn us for supposedly oppressing the irish population in an era when nobody in the world had it easy.

common sense would be one, celebrating a war which resulted in opression of irish and its catholic along with the massacres of the war always semmed to me it would be like celebrating the anniversery of the holocost every year by the germans

The vast majority of troubles ireland faced during its time under British rule was of its own making (either through geography with famines and the like, or through stupid 'rebellions' that had no plan, and no basis for in the first place).

While british policies didnt help things like the famine(s), taxation was tough on locals and there was an obvious religious discrimination, these were commonplace throughout Britain and the rest of the world too.

For example aid to ireland during famine(s) was hindered because of political troubles at the time and the relative inability to actually help during this period in history.
Taxation was very tough, along with the rentals and all that; but then again it was tough for everyone during this time. Look at france during the same period and it was a far worse situation (which indeed led to revolution)
As for massacres: dont pretend it was all one sided. need i go into only the recent history of the IRA bombing shops, resturants and pubs?

[Alatar]

because Britain's so evil.....damn us for supposedly oppressing the irish population in an era when nobody in the world had it easy.





The vast majority of troubles ireland faced during its time under British rule was of its own making (either through geography with famines and the like, or through stupid 'rebellions' that had no plan, and no basis for in the first place).

While british policies didnt help things like the famine(s), taxation was tough on locals and there was an obvious religious discrimination, these were commonplace throughout Britain and the rest of the world too.

For example aid to ireland during famine(s) was hindered because of political troubles at the time and the relative inability to actually help during this period in history.
Taxation was very tough, along with the rentals and all that; but then again it was tough for everyone during this time. Look at france during the same period and it was a far worse situation (which indeed led to revolution)
As for massacres: dont pretend it was all one sided. need i go into only the recent history of the IRA bombing shops, resturants and pubs?

Ummm, "We oppressed most of the world, why are the Irish trying to rebell?". (My point being that the British had it easy in the 19th century.

And as for the bit is bold, foreign occupation of a land is reason for rebelling.

[Cliomhdubh]

because Britain's so evil.....damn us for supposedly oppressing the irish population in an era when nobody in the world had it easy

yes damn you

he vast majority of troubles ireland faced during its time under British rule was of its own making (either through geography with famines and the like, or through stupid 'rebellions' that had no plan, and no basis for in the first place).

no it was of british making
hence the revolutions , content populaces dont revolt
your knowlege of irish history is obivously quite limited
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penal_Laws_%28Ireland%29
Ascendancy rule 1691-1778
With the defeat of Catholic attempts to regain power and lands in Ireland, the new Protestant Ascendancy sought to insure dominance with the passing of a number of laws to restrict Catholics and Dissenters . The son of James II, the Old Pretender, was recognised by the Holy See as the legitimate king of Britain and Ireland until his death in 1766, and Catholics were obliged to support him. This provided a further political excuse for the new laws passed after 1695. Among the discriminations now faced by Catholics and Dissenters under the Penal Laws were:

Exclusion of Catholics from most public offices (since 1607), Presbyterians were also barred from public office from 1707.
Ban on intermarriage with Protestants; repealed 1778
Presbyterian marriages were not legally recognised by the state
Catholics barred from holding firearms or serving in the armed forces (rescinded by Militia Act of 1793)
Bar from membership in either the Parliament of Ireland or the Parliament of Great Britain from 1652; rescinded 1662-1691; renewed 1691-1829.
Disenfranchising Act 1728, exclusion from voting until 1793;
Exclusion from the legal professions and the judiciary; repealed (respectively) 1793 and 1829.
Education Act 1695 - ban on foreign education; repealed 1782.
Bar to Catholics entering Trinity College Dublin; repealed 1793.
On a death by a Catholic, a legatee could benefit by conversion to the Church of Ireland;
Popery Act- Catholic inheritances of land were to be equally subdivided between all an owner's sons with the exception that if the eldest son and heir converted to Protestantism that he would become the one and only tenant of estate and portions for other children not to exceed one third of the estate. ultimatley the underlieing cause of the famine
Ban on converting from Protestantism to Roman Catholicism on pain of Praemunire: forfeiting all property estates and legacy to the monarch of the time and remaining in prison at monarchs pleasure. In addition, forfeiting monarchs protection. No injury however atrocious could have any action brought against it or any reparation for such.
Ban on Catholics buying land under a lease of more than 31 years; repealed 1778.
Ban on custody of orphans being granted to Catholics on pain of 500 pounds that was to be donated to the Blue Coat hospital in Dublin.
Ban on Catholics inheriting Protestant land
Prohibition on Catholics owning a horse valued at over £5 (in order to keep horses suitable for military activity out of the majority's hands)
Roman Catholic lay priests had to register to preach under the Registration Act 1704, but seminary priests and Bishops were not able to do so until the 1770s.
When allowed, new Catholic churches were to be built from wood, not stone, and away from main roads.
'No person of the popish religion shall publicly or in private houses teach school, or instruct youth in learning within this realm' upon pain of twenty pounds fine and three months in prison for every such offence. Repealed in 1782. [2] Any and all rewards not paid by the crown for alerting authorities of offences to be levied upon the Catholic populace within parish and county.

As for massacres: dont pretend it was all one sided. need i go into only the recent history of the IRA bombing shops, resturants and pubs?

oh please do , for every one you post i could post one back , fortunatly its unneeded because the ira and sinn fein dont march up the street to celebrate the manchester bombings!

[Yorkshireman]

umm celebrating irishness and celbrating britishness seem completley the opposite in my mind but then again i am a nationalist

Armchair nationalist I presume.

And whats the problem with the British celebrating Britishness in a part of Great Britain ?

[Cliomhdubh]

Armchair nationalist I presume.

oh no i was active in the ira during the 20's it was me who single handedly caprtured the gpo during the rising aswell [/sarcasam]
nationalist would be refering to my belif set that ireland should be a unified country under irish control?

And whats the problem with the British celebrating Britishness in a part of Great Britain

nothing except it celebrates a battle/war which resulted in massacres and oppresion of the irish catholics who in many cases live on the streets the orange order parade through , it has always seemed to me as a kind of ha ha we won parade and you got oppresed . it never ceases to amaze me people wonder why it annoys the catholic community of northern ireland

carach

no they dont, economically deprived populations do though, and during a time when laissez faire was the prevailing policy it was tough luck for everyone that was poor (and that doesnt just include ireland, which was a poor country since well....ever? until recently with EU funding). And frankly there were riots and crazilly planned rebellions all over the place during this time period, not just ireland. Thats just how the world was.

again your history of ireland differs from the actual one

The Irish Bruce Wars 1315-1318 an attempt by members of the O'Neill clan backed by a Scottish and Irish army to make Edward Bruce the High King of Ireland. They were supported by Edward's older brother, Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland.
The Geraldine Rebellion (1534) and the FitzGerald Rebellion against Henry VIII 1535 to 1537 to do with who was supreme head of the church
The Desmond Rebellions, that occurred in the 1560s, 1570s and 1580s in Munster.
Tyrone's Rebellion (also known Nine Years War) from 1594 to 1603 predominantly in Ulster
The Irish Rebellion of 1641, a conflict between the Roman Catholic native Irish and Anglo-Normans, and Protestant settlers.
The Irish Rebellion of 1798, a republican uprising against British rule of Ireland.
The United Irish Uprising of 1800, an uprising against British rule of Newfoundland.
The 1803 Irish rebellion led by Robert Emmet
The Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848, also called The Famine Rebellion of 1848
The Fenian Rising of 1867
The Easter Rising of 1916, a nationalist uprising against British rule of Ireland.
The Irish War of Independence - 1919-1921 a guerrilla war between the original Irish Republican Army and the British administration in Ireland, resulted in the creation of the Irish Free State, now known as the Republic of Ireland.

[mrpants]

Bloody annoying lot if you ask me, there will be a parade up my street soon. And like every year a bus load of Glasgow drunks in silly outfits will get off the bus and piss all over the local war memorial and serviceman building. Across the street from my house I may add. Then they will prance up the road with a mob of junkies and teenage mothers dragging there kids in tow.

Living in Glasgow and the west of Scotland for most of my life, I have experienced a good few Orange parades and there Catholic equivalents. I have yet to see anything positive come from them, and witnessed many down right nasty vicious acts carried out in there name.

I think I will lie low until the benefit scrounging tin whistle playing tide of effluence crawls back to its sewer

Sorry if thats a bit harsh my personal experience may cloud my objectivity some what.

[Yorkshireman]

I think I will lie low until the benefit scrounging tin whistle playing tide of effluence crawls back to its sewer

Yep, thats the Scots for you.


Nobody I know in Belfast fits the description above, for them it's a lifelong tradition. Yesterday was a good, family day out and then pissup. Today the flags go back in the cupboard and life goes on. Very similar to St. Patricks day.

[Cúchulainn]

Orange Order Lodges......hmm....a relic of a shameful past.

Now if you won't to celebrate a great battle in Irish history or teenagers locking the gates of Derry, allowing a good chunk of it's population to be killed in the siege, by all means.

But don't drag religion and politics into it.

Sadly that's all the Orange Order Lodges and marches are.

A celebration of Protestant triumph over Catholicism and the segregation and civil oppression that followed.

[LoZz]

imo. i dont think anything that is a reminder of the bad side of northern irelands past should be allowed. atlest not while the peace is still quite fragile.

moving this to the pit by the way.

[Scar Face]

imo. i dont think anything that is a reminder of the bad side of northern irelands past should be allowed. atlest not while the peace is still quite fragile.

moving this to the pit by the way.

Why would anyone infringe on public tradition and celebration out of fear? That is disgusting.

Rubbish. I think that they were a little tired of paying for your wars with France. The French and Indian War was hardly our fight...the 7 years war, less so.

You were part of Britain, it was as much your fight as it was theirs.

Add to the fact that that when a New England Colonial force took Louisbourg from the French in 1748 only for it to be returned to the French by the British Government....lives lost in vain....

No. This victory, among others, brought about the end of the war, whether or not it remains in British hands.

of course all of this pales in comparison with the contempt that was shown for them when they wanted representation in Parliament.

Actually, there was a great deal of support for representation in Parliament, and that was only likely to grow as time went on.

If you're getting taxed, you might as well have some say in what you do with it.

Typically America was not taxed, only under rare occassions such as a massive war, or a need to pay off the debt of one. It's the same thing. You warn representation? Pay taxes. Americans were still ing about having to do that in the first place.

Throw in some intolerable acts, a dash of Boston Massacre, and a pinch garrisoning British Troops in private homes...salt lightly to taste and you've got yourself a revolution.

Read some "Common Since"

Yup...and yet, even centuries later, the revolution lacks proper justification.

[Osceola]

I'll have to throw in my lot with Cuchulainn.