Northern Ireland Centennial: final preparations for colossal parade
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Loading... - Gisela Arnold
- 27 May 2022
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Final preparations will be made on Friday for the “mammoth task” of getting thousands of loyal order members from all over Northern Ireland into the grounds of Parliament Buildings ahead of the NI Centennial parade.
From 10am on Saturday, Stormont will be a sea of colours as more than 300 buses and minibuses arrive on site to enjoy the food stalls and entertainment ahead of the parade at 1pm.
The event was postponed in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The nominated charity for the event is the Air Ambulance NI and a collection will take place along the route.
Grand Lodge deputy Grand Master Harold Henning has worked tirelessly to ensure everything is in place for one of the largest parades in Northern Ireland’s 101 year history.
“I have been involved in two Co Down ‘Last Saturday’ parades as chief marshall, and that is the biggest Black day in Co Down, which gives you a bit of an insight, but that is dealing with 120 buses. We are dealing with 260 buses plus 70 minibuses, so it is a mammoth undertaking in terms of the logistics,” he said.
“We are dropping off at Stormont on Saturday morning from 10 o’clock onwards, getting those people de-bussed and up to get their food in the food village, and then get the buses out and down into the city centre into their respective holding places.
“Then we have to get 70 minibuses in and then into their order for the parade so that they are dovetailing into the parade procession as it comes out through the main gates at Stormont.
“We have 120 districts on parade or thereabouts so the PSNI has a massive task, as do the bus people, both private and Translink,” Mr Henning said.
The head of the parade is expected at Belfast City Hall around 2.30/2.45pm. There will be marshals with every district along the parade route.
At Parliament Buildings there will be food stalls, children’s bouncy castles, games, pipe bands playing, Lambeg drummers, singers all there from 10am to mid-day.
There will also be Lambeg drumming at CS Lewis Square (off the Newtownards Road) prior to the main parade.
Mr Henning added: “The platform proceedings will be at mid-day, lasting about 25 minutes, then we will be getting ready to muster to the rattle of the Lambeg drum and the pipers.
“There will be around 140 bands with Orangemen behind in ranks of four [abreast]. That is not our usual way of walking, If we walked in our traditional way, with only two lines, we would have been walking all day and half the night.
“Even so, it will still take three to three-and-a-half hours to pass any one spot.”
Kellswater Flute Band from Ballymena – celebrating its 75th anniversary this year – has the honour of leading the parade on it way to Belfast city centre. Read More...
