Orange Lodges set for three local parades

The Ballymena district will play host to three Twelfth parades on Thursday with Orange lodges set to parade in Ballymena Broughshane and Portglenone.
Galgorm Park Temperance taking part in the Ballymena Twelfth in 2017.Galgorm Park Temperance taking part in the Ballymena Twelfth in 2017.
Galgorm Park Temperance taking part in the Ballymena Twelfth in 2017.

Upwards of 30 lodges and accompanying bands will take part in the annual Twelfth in Ballymena, which will this year be hosted by members of 36th Ulster Division Memorial LOL 143.

Orangemen and 15 bands, accompanied by a number of Lambeg drums, will assemble at the car park behind the town fire station at 12.30pm – proceeding to the demonstration field at Wakehurst Playing fields – via Waveney Road, Galgorm Road, Pentagon, Lower Mill Street, Wellington Street, Ballymoney Street, William Street, Broughshane Street, Broadway, Church Street, Bridge Street, Harryville Bridge, Salisbury Square, Queens Street, Wakehurst Road and Brooke Park.

Fifteen lodges will take part in the Triangle parade in Portglenone this year and they will walk in both Counties Antrim and Londonderry.

The parade starts at 12.45pm from Chesney Crescent and proceeds through the village, over the Bann Bridge, to the field on the Clady Road.

Ian Wilson, a former Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland, will give the main address during the religious service.

The 11 lodges of Braid district will gather for the Twelfth in Broughshane, for the second year in a row.

It is one of the smallest parades of the day with over 300 Orangemen taking part but the Braid Twelfth is always a big attraction for visitors and tourists.

Host lodge, Pollee LOL 841, have the honour of leading the procession this year.

The main parade is scheduled to start at 12 noon and those participating will parade from the assembly point on the Tullymore Road, proceeding through the village, before congregating at a field on the Buckna Road for the religious service.

The guest speaker will be Jim Allister MLA.

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