The Twelfth
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The Twelfth is an annual Protestant celebration on 12 July, originating in Ireland. It is alternatively known also as Orangemen's Day or as the Boyne celebrations, commemorating the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, and the Glorious Revolution. It is occasionally known as the Glorious Twelfth, but that term is more commonly used to refer to 12 August. Members of the Orange Institution stage parades throughout Northern Ireland.
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[edit] History
Irish Protestants commemorated several events from the 17th century onwards, celebrating the survival and triumph of their community in the face of the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and the Williamite war in Ireland (1689-91). The first such comemoration was the anniversary of the 1641 rebellion on October 23, when it was believed that a plot to massacre all Protestants in Ireland had been narrowly averted. The second major day was the birthday of William of Orange, Protestant victor of the Williamite war in the 1690s on 4 November. Both of these anniversaries faded in popularity by the end of the 18th century.
The Twelfth itself originated as a celebration of the Battle of Aughrim, which took place on 12 July 1691 in the Julian calendar. Aughrim was the decisive battle ofthe Williamite war, in which the predominantly Irish Catholic Jacobite army was destroyed. The Twelfth in the early 18th century was a popular commemoration of this battle, featuring bonfires and parades. The Battle of the Boyne (fought on July 1, 1690) was commemorated with smaller parades on 1 July. However, two events were combined in the late 18th century to switch the Twelfth comemorations to the Boyne.
The first reason for this was the British switch to the Gregorian calender in 1752, which put the Boyne rather than Aughrim on the 12 July. The second reason was the foundation of the Orange Order in 1795. The Order preferred the Boyne due to the presence there of William of Orange. It has also been suggested the Boyne, where the Jacobites were routed, was more appealing to the Order in 1790s (a time of Catholic resurgance) than Aughrim, where they fought hard and died in great numbers <ref>Padraig Lenihan, 1690 Battle of the Boyne, page 258-260)</ref>.
The Twelfth parades of the early 19th century often led to riots and public disorder due to its potential for riotous behaviour, the Orange Order and the Twelfth were supressed in the 1830s and 40s.
[edit] Events on the Twelfth
The traditional bowler hat worn by Protestant men on the Twelfth recalls the then-stylish headgear worn by their ancestors at the time of the creation of the Northern Irish state in 1921.
It is commonly celebrated in Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Canada, and there are also marches in other places such as USA and Australia. Some Orange Marches are held in the Republic of Ireland, the largest being held at the beach resort of Rossnowlagh, County Donegal on the weekend before the Twelfth<ref name=rte>Report on Drumcree and Rossnowlagh marches — RTÉ news article, 9 July 2006</ref>.
12 July is an annual public holiday in Northern Ireland.
[edit] Controversy
Parades on the Twelfth are often controversial due to the sectarian nature of the Orange Order, and the Twelfth is a tense occasion in many parts of Northern Ireland, with riot police on duty at flashpoint parades to prevent clashes between some members of the nationalist community (who oppose the Orange Walks) and some of the unionist community, for whom the parades are an expression of heritage.<ref name=utv>Pleas for calm on eve of loyalist parades — Ulster Television news article, 11 July 2006</ref> There is an annual exodus from Northern Ireland around the Twelfth, as many residents of Northern Ireland take holidays abroad to avoid the violence and intimidation associated with the holiday.<ref name=guardian>Marching to a different drum — The Guardian newspaper article, 12 July 2006</ref><ref name=observer>Orangemen 'frightened away tourists' — The Observer newspaper article, 16 July 2006</ref>
Every Twelfth between 1970 and 2005, British Army soldiers were deployed in Belfast to help police the parades. In 2006, for the first time in more than three decades, soldiers were not deployed on the streets of Belfast during the Twelfth, in what was seen as a benefit of the reduced tensions under the peace process.<ref name=bbc>Soldiers in barracks for Twelfth — BBC News article, 12 July 2006</ref> Due to improved policing and the Northern Ireland peace process, recent parades have been more peaceful. Any complaints about parades may be referred to the Parades Commission, who can set restrictions or even ban a parade if it is seen to be too contentious.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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[edit] External links
- The Twelfth in pictures — from the BBC News website
- Peaceful parades in the North and a garden party in Dublin — from the RTE website
- Orangefest 2006 The Twelfth in Belfast
- The Twelfth 2006 in Ballymena Co. Antrim
