A proud day for town

The 11 districts of County Armagh gathered for the town's first main parade for 12 years, particularly significant given that Lurgan celebrates its 400th birthday this year.

The celebrations centred on Brownlow House and thousands of Orangemen and spectators were boosted by the fact the sun had got its (bowler) hat on.

Mayor of Craigavon Stephen Moutray said this year's Twelfth in Lurgan was a uniting event for unionists.

“The annual Twelfth of July celebration held this year in Lurgan was a wonderful day of colour and culture, of faith and family and put on public view much of what is good about the Loyal Orders,” said Mr Moutray.

“It was very encouraging to see people from all of the unionist parties acting jointly whether on parade together or watching beside one another. Whether it was DUP, UUP or TUV it was good to see unionists come together as a family.”

He added: “I also want to commend those who were on parade. The bands and lodges looked and sounded even better than ever and it was good to see so many young people participating in this keynote day in the calendar. I also want to congratulate the PSNI on the way that they policed the event in a manner that allowed people to enjoy the day even more and which again showed the dedication and professionalism that we often take for granted.”

Mr Moutray concluded: “I think that particular praise has to be given to Lurgan District Master, David Martin and all of the Lurgan District officers for the outstanding way in which they organised the day. They have a set a standard for others to follow. Their efforts went a long way to making this Twelfth the best I can remember.”

Sam Gardiner of the UUP commented: "This was the biggest parade outside Belfast and evidence that common sense prevails. It was a huge success, a wonderful day and the sunlight just topped it all off beautifully.

"The overwhelming message that's coming out of the parade is that common sense prevails. While the majority enjoyed the day in a responsible manner we saw how a few people can cause major disruption on the rail line at Lake Street.

"I would like to commend everyone involved with the parade including the Orangemen, bandsmen, spectators and police on the huge success. I'm extremely proud of the way in which Lurgan hosted the event."

See the 'MAIL's coverage of the Twelfth in pictures, starting on page 15.