The Twelfth (also called Orangemen's Day) is an Ulster Protestant celebration held on 12 July. It celebrates the Glorious Revolution and victory of Protestant king William of Orange over Catholic king James II at the Battle of the Boyne. On and around the Twelfth, large parades are held by the Orange Order and Ulster loyalist marching bands, streets are decorated with Union Jacks and bunting, and on the Eleventh Night large towering bonfires are lit. Today, the Twelfth is mainly celebrated in Northern Ireland, where it is a public holiday, but some celebrations are held elsewhere, such as Scotland, Canada, Australia and West Africa. It is also a public holiday in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Twelfth began in the late 18th century in Ulster, and many Ulster Protestants see it as an important part of their culture. Some Catholics and Irish nationalists see it as anti-Catholic and supremacist. Since the beginning, it has been occasionally accompanied by sectarian violence, especially during times of political tension. Orange marches through Catholic neighbourhoods, and the burning of Irish flags on bonfires, are especially controversial. The Drumcree conflict is the most well-known dispute involving Orange marches. Sectarian violence around the Twelfth worsened during the Troubles, but today, most events pass off peacefully. Recently, there have been attempts to draw tourists to the main Twelfth parades and promote them as family-friendly events. This demand was met with the festival known as Orangefest, established in 2007. It takes place on the week leading up to the main day.
When 12 July falls on a Sunday, the parades are held instead on the next Monday, 13 July.
Origins
Orangemen commemorated several events dating from the 17th century onwards, celebrating the rise of Protestantism in Ireland after the Irish Rebellion of 1641, and triumph in the Williamite War in Ireland, particularly the Battle of the Boyne. Early celebrations were on 23 October, the anniversary of the 1641 rebellion; and 4 November, the birthday of William of Orange, Protestant victor of the Williamite war in the 1690s. Both of these anniversaries faded in popularity by the end of the 18th century.
The Twelfth itself originated as a popular celebration of the Battle of Aughrim, which took place on 12 July 1691 in the 'Old Style' (O.S.) Julian calendar then in use. Aughrim was the decisive battle of the Williamite war, in which the predominantly Irish Catholic Jacobite army was destroyed and the remainder capitulated at Limerick, whereas the Battle of the Boyne was less decisive. The commemorations continued in the early 18th century, featuring bonfires and parades. The Battle of the Boyne (fought on 1 July 1690) was commemorated with smaller parades on 1 July. However, the two events were combined in the late 18th century. The first reason for this was the British switch to the Gregorian calendar in 1752, which repositioned the nominal date of the Battle of the Boyne to 11 July New Style (N.S.) (with the Battle of Aughrim nominally repositioned to 23 July N.S.). The second reason was the founding of the Orange Order in 1795. The Order preferred the Boyne, due to William of Orange's presence there. It has also been suggested that when Catholicism was having a resurgence in the 1790s, the Boyne became more appealing to the Order than Aughrim. The Jacobites were routed at the Boyne, whilst at Aughrim, they had fought hard, but suffered many casualties.
The Order's first marches took place on 12 July 1796 in Portadown, Lurgan, and Waringstown.McCormack, W J. The Blackwell Companion to Modern Irish Culture. Wiley-Blackwell, 2001. Page 317. The Twelfth parades of the early 19th century often led to public disorder, so much so that the Orange Order and the Twelfth were banned in the 1830s and '40s (see below).
Events
Lead-up In the weeks leading up to the Twelfth, Orange Order and other Ulster loyalist marching bands hold numerous parades in Northern Ireland. The most common of these are lodge parades, in which one Orange lodge marches with one band. Others, such as the "mini-Twelfth" at the start of July, involve several lodges.
From June to August, Protestant, unionist areas of Northern Ireland are bedecked with flags and bunting, which are usually flown from lampposts and houses. Most commonly the Union Jack and Ulster Banner. Kerbstones are sometimes painted red, white and blue; and murals made. Steel or wooden arches, covered with flags and Orange symbolism, are raised over certain streets. These 'Orange arches' are inspired by triumphal arches.
Additionally, the flags of loyalist paramilitary groups, such as the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Ulster Defence Association (UDA), are flown in some areas. The raising of these flags near Catholic/Irish nationalist neighbourhoods, or in "neutral" areas, sometimes leads to tension and violence. It is seen as deliberately provocative and intimidating.
Since 2007, the County Grand Orange Lodge of Belfast and the Belfast City Council organize Orangefest. Launched as a public relations and tourism initiative, Orangefest aims to reposition the traditional parade as a family-friendly, inclusive cultural festival. Orangefest features events centered around Belfast City Hall, including international food markets, street performances, and live music. It is held on the week leading up to the Twelfth. Orangefest is also regional, as in 2025, Dundonald Purple Vine held Orangefest in Moat Park, and had a range of events for each day. This included selling merchandise, continental food stalls, live music, an award's night and children's fun activities.
Eleventh Night
On the night before the Twelfth, called "Eleventh Night", huge towering bonfires are lit in many working-class Protestant neighbourhoods in Northern Ireland. They are built mostly of wooden pallets and lumber by local young men and boys in the weeks before the Twelfth. Their lighting is often accompanied by street parties and loyalist marching band. Eleventh Night events have been condemned for sectarianism, as well as the damage and pollution caused by the fires. Each year, Irish tricolours are burnt on many bonfires, and in some cases effigies, posters of Irish nationalist figures, and Catholic symbols are also burnt. During the Troubles, loyalist paramilitaries used bonfire events to hold "shows of strength", in which masked gunmen fired volleys into the air. Some are still controlled by paramilitary members, and authorities are sometimes wary of taking action against controversial bonfires. However, not all bonfires are controversial, and there have been attempts to de-politicize the events and make them more family- and environmentally-friendly.[ ""]. Belfast Telegraph, 9 July 2010. Some bonfires are also criticised as being unsafely constructed or environmentally hazardous due to the use of tyres in their construction.BBC News. (2019, July 11). Controversial Avoniel bonfire in east Belfast lit, BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-48947349
Main events
The Twelfth is mainly celebrated with large parades involving Orangemen and supporting bands. Most of the parades are in Ulster, almost exclusively being held in Northern Ireland and County Donegal, although Orange lodges elsewhere often hold parades as well. The parade usually begins at an Orange Hall, proceeds through the town or city and out to a large park or field where the marchers, their friends and family, and the general public gather to eat, drink, and listen to speeches by clergymen, politicians, and senior members of the Order. A church service will also be held and sometimes band prizes will be awarded. In the past, the Twelfth has been a major venue for discussion of political issues.Bryan, Dominic. Orange Parades: The politics of ritual, tradition and control. Pluto Press, 2000. p.147-148 Within Northern Ireland, each District Lodge usually organises its own parade. In rural districts, the parade will rotate around various towns, sometimes favouring those in which there is less likely to be trouble, but in other years choosing those in which it is felt the 'right to march' needs to be defended.
There is a long tradition of Protestant and loyalist marching bands found in most towns in Northern Ireland, who are hired by the Orangemen to march in the parades. An instrument largely unique to these marches is the Lambeg drum. Popular songs include "The Sash" and "Derry's Walls". More controversial songs, such as "Billy Boys" are sometimes played as well.
The vast majority of marchers are men, but there are some all-women bands, and a few mixed bands. Some all-male bands have female flag or banner carriers. There are also some Women's Orange Lodges, which take part in the parades. Orangewomen have paraded on the Twelfth in some rural areas since at least the mid-20th century, but were banned from the Belfast parades until the 1990s.
Orangemen on parade typically wear a dark suit, an orange sash, white gloves and a bowler hat. Certain Orangemen carry a ceremonial sword. In hot weather, many lodges will parade in short-sleeved shirts. Orangewomen have not developed a standard dress code, but usually dress formally. The supporting bands each have their own uniforms and colours. Both the Orangemen and bands carry elaborate banners depicting Orange heroes, historic or Biblical scenes, and/or political symbols and slogans. The most popular image is that of King William of Orange crossing the River Boyne during the famous battle there.Bryan, p.99 At the field, some lodges and bands don humorous outfits or accessories and make the return journey in them. The mood is typically relaxed and easygoing with the atmosphere on the return route becoming even more festive and animated.
The Northern Irish and County Donegal parades are given extensive local TV and press coverage, while the BBC Northern Ireland programme The Twelfth is the longest-running outside broadcast programme in Northern Ireland.
One of the largest Orange demonstrations held anywhere each year is the annual parade held at Rossnowlagh, a tiny village near Ballyshannon in the south of County Donegal in the west of Ulster. County Donegal being one of the Ulster counties in the Republic of Ireland, the Rossnowlagh demonstration is the only major Orange event in the Republic. A number of much smaller Orange events take place each year in East Donegal as well.
The Thirteenth and sham fight
Following the events leading up and Twelfth celebrations itself, the Royal Black Institution host the "Thirteenth" also known as the Royal Black Parades, that take place in Scarva and Bangor, as well as feeder parades in other towns like Portadown and Lurgan. The annual parade takes place the day after the Twelfth, on 13 July (or 14 July, if 12 July falls on a Sunday, pushing it the day after the Monday Twelfth).
The Scarva Black Parade consists of over 75 bands, consisting of silver, pipe, flute and accordion bands, and many Black Preceptories. After the large parade, a sham fight pageant takes place, actors portraying King William III and King James II, which inevitably concludes with King William as the victor. Around 100,000 spectators typically attend the Thirteenth of July event.
Controversies