5.
July in Northern Ireland is the height of
what is known as “marching season,”
when the country’s Protestant Loyalists
organize parades to commemorate their
long-ago victories over the country’s
Catholic minority. There are church
parades, “arch, banner and hall”
parades, commemorative band parades,
and “blood and thunder” and “kick-the-
Pope” flute band parades. There are
parades with full silver bands, parades
with bagpipes, parades with accordions,
and parades with marchers wearing
sashes and dark suits and bowler hats.
There are hundreds of parades in all,