An Orange Order parade passed peacefully through the Ardoyne shops interface area in north Belfast, reports Breaking News.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) put a security operation in place after the Parades Commission approved the return leg of the Twelfth parade, which took place on Sunday morning.
This location has previously been the site of serious unrest linked to Orange Order marches, reports Breaking News.
However, a 2016 agreement brought about a pause on return marches, allowing time for discussions between the Orange Order and a nationalist residents’ group in search of a long-term resolution.
Sunday’s return parade – submitted under the name “The Ligoneil Combine” – included one band and 50 marchers, with the condition that only hymns be played as the procession passed through the area, reports Breaking News.
No resident protests were held as the parade went by.
Father Gary Donegan, who leads the Passionist Peace and Reconciliation Office, said there was “trepidation” among the Ardoyne community ahead of the parade, reports Breaking News.
He said: “We had eight years of an agreement which facilitated morning parades with no return. Things started to break down in that agreement two years ago. Ultimately, yesterday passed by peacefully with no issues, but the return was always the issue. When it was determined this would actually happen there was a lot of sense of trepidation within the community, a lot of sense of tension. People were just hoping it would pass by, which it did. Now we can get on with the Sunday Masses and services as normal,” reports Breaking News.
He said: “Because of the sense of the tension in the lead-up to this, the less attention drawn to it the better. It passed through there, it is over and now we can start to go back to normality again.”
Fr Donegan said that any future return parades by the Orange Order through the area will now be decided by the Parades Commission, reports Breaking News.
He said: “There was an agreement that took a lot of negotiating at the time. Now that that seems to be no longer in existence, it is going to be each and every time the issues that pertain to this are going to be on the table each time this happens,” reports Breaking News.
The parade followed the traditional Twelfth of July commemorations on Saturday, which saw tens of thousands take part in events across Northern Ireland.
These celebrations mark the 334th anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne, where Protestant King William of Orange defeated Catholic King James II, reports Breaking News.
In the meantime, the annual July 13th events hosted by the Royal Black Preceptory in Scarva, Co Armagh, are scheduled for Monday.
The day includes a parade and a mock battle reenactment between actors portraying Kings William and James.
Twelfth events this year also followed bonfire nights held in around 300 loyalist areas across Northern Ireland on Thursday and Friday, reports Breaking News.
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