7 December 1688
Beginning of the 'Siege of Derry'. The city gates
were locked against the forces of King James II by apprentice Boys, as
a bid of "No Surrender"; those locked inside the gates
suffered attacks from canon-balls and mortar bombs, famine and
disease. Thousands of people died both inside and outside the
walls.
Sunday 28 July 1689
Relief of the Siege of Derry. A relief ship broke through
the flooting boom which stretched across the River Foyle, marking
the end of the Siege. The siege had lasted for 105 days.
12 July 1690
Battle of the Boyne. Defeat of King James II by King William III - confirmed Protestant supremacy in Ireland.
1695
This year marked the beginning of the Penal Laws in Ireland.
These laws prevented Catholics from owning property, buying land,
voting, educating their children, and excluded them from various
professions such as the army, law and all public offices. Attempts
were also made to prevent them from practicing their religion (in 1698) but this was difficult to enforce, and only a small percentage
converted to Protestantism. In effect, they deprived the Catholic
population from all economic and political power, and created
a highly privileged Protestant elite.
21 September 1795
Formation of the Loyal Orange Institution (Orange Order) in
County Armagh.
12 July 1796
First parade held to commemorate the Battle of the Boyne.
26 July 1813
Battle of Garvagh. Four hundred Catholic 'Ribbonmen' made
an attempt to destroy a tavern in Garvagh where the Orange Lodge
met. They were armed with sticks and bludgeons, little suspecting
that Protestants were waiting inside armed with muskets, to defend
the Orangemen. Several of the Ribbonmen were killed, and the rest
fled to the countryside.
1812
Sir Robert Peel introduced a mobile constabulary in Ireland.
This was intended to be less partial than the yeomanry currently
stationed in Ulster, who were nearly all Orangemen.
1814
Present organisation of Apprentice Boys formed, although the Siege
of Derry was being celebrated from 17th century.
1823
Formation of the Catholic Association. A well organised association,
formed by Daniel O'Connell and made up of the middle classes,
peasants and priests, who were campaigning for catholic emancipation.
1825
The Unlawful Societies Act. This proscribed the Catholic Association
and the Orange Order. By this stage, many of the upper classes
were already beginning to dissociate themselves from the Orange
Order.
12 July 1829
In 1829 Catholic emancipation came unexpectedly for many Protestants.
The 12 July Parade in Belfast was banned that year, much to their
indignation, and demonstrations were held by Orangemen in Belfast.
This resulted in fierce rioting in Belfast, and spread to County Armagh
and County Tyrone. It lasted for several days, with at least 20 deaths
and many injuries reported.
12 July 1830
Confrontations between Orangemen and Ribbonmen during the
12 July parades in Maghera and Castledawson. Several Catholic
homes were then burned by Protestants following these clashes.
November 1830
Ribbonmen attacked an Orange band, puncturing some of their
drums. The Orangemen retaliated by burning the Catholic village
of Maghery to the ground.
1832 to 1844
Party Procession Acts enforced. This was an attempt to control
various types of public demonstrations, by restricting, or banning
them altogether. They were introduced as a security measure, in an attempt to
curtail the level of sectarian violence which often accompanied commemorative
parades.
12 July 1849
Dolly's Brae. Orangemen announced their decision to march
from Rathriland to Tollymore Park in Castlewellan, a route which
was both long and passed through a catholic townland. Approximately
1,200 to 1,400 Orangemen, all of whom were armed, marched along this
route. However, by the afternoon about 1,000 Ribbonmen, also armed,
had gathered to observe. Suddenly, shots were fired from both
sides, and Catholic homes were set alight. The police were unable
to control the situation. None of the Orangemen were harmed, but
it was estimated that about 80 Catholics were killed.
1850-1872
Party Procession Acts enforced again.
1850's
Formation of the Royal Black Institution. This began as an
off-shoot from the Orange Order and can be traced back as far,
although it was officially constituted as an organisation in its
own right in the 1850's.
12 July 1857
Confrontations between crowds of Catholics and Protestants
on the evening of the 12th July in Belfast. This turned into 10 days
of particularly violent rioting, with many of the police force
joining the Protestant side, leaving only a small number to contain
the situation. There were also riots in Derry, Portadown and Lurgan,
but these were relatively minor compared to Belfast.
12 July 1867
Despite the Party Procession Acts, the Orange Order decided
to parade from Bangor to Newtownards in County Down. The parade was
organised by William Johnston, and approximately 30,000 took part. William
Johnston refused to apologise to the authorities, and was sentenced
to a short time in prison the following year for his actions.
1872
Party Procession Acts Repealed. Much of this had to do with
William Johnston, the small land-owner, who organised the 12 July
parade in 1867, and was subsequently sentenced to a short spell
in prison. Following his release he was elected to Parliament
and succeeded in having the Acts repealed.
Summer 1872
Approximately 30,000 Nationalists held a demonstration at
Hannahstown in Belfast, campaigning for the release of Fenian
prisoners. This sparked off another series of riots between Catholics
and Protestants in Belfast.
June 1886
Defeat of the Home Rule Bill. Protestants celebrated with
bonfires and Orange bands. Rioting broke out again on the streets
of Belfast. Seven people were killed and many more injured.
12 July 1886
Following the 12th July celebrations, more clashes took place
between Catholics and Protestants, and also between Loyalists
and police. There followed a weekend of serious rioting in which
13 people were killed. This continued sporadically until mid-september,
by which stage the official mumber of deaths had reached 31, although
it was believed to have been a lot more.
1903
Formation of the Independent Orange Institution, as a breakaway
from the Orange Institution.
1911
The Formation of the Royal Arch Purple: This organisation
is very closely connected to the Orange Order, although it remains
a separate organisation. It does not have any major parading dates
of its own, although it does hold a number of church parades.
July 1916
Battle of the Somme. The 36th (Ulster) Division, which contained many Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) members lost 5,500 men in the
first two days of July in Northern France. This battle is
regarded by historians as one of the bloodiest ever fought.
12 July 1921
In the wake of partition, Northern Ireland saw a lot of rioting,
and July of this year was particularly bad. Clashes between Catholics
and Protestants on the 12th July resulted in 23 deaths and the
destruction of over 200 Catholic homes.
18 June 1935
Following the riots in May and June of this year when Protestants
celebrated King George's Jubilee, the Ministry of Home Affairs
banned all parades from 18 June, including the 12 July Parade.
However, the master of the Grand Orange Lodge announced that the
Government did not have any right to impose conditions on them
and that they would be marching on the Twelfth. Bates capitulated
and the ban was lifted, much to the grievance of many Catholics.
As the 12 July parade was marching homewards, serious clashes
took place between Orangemen and Catholics. The police were largely
ineffective at controlling the situation and the result of this
was that 2 people were killed, many injured and homes were destroyed.
Troops were called in and a curfew was imposed, but the rioting
continued until the end of August. The toll of violence by the
end of August included the deaths of eight Protestants and five Catholics,
hundreds of injuries and over 2,000 homes destroyed (almost all Catholic).
1936
Public Order Act. This gave the Chief Constable the power
to impose conditions on parades or public processions if it was believed
that they would lead to public disorder.
1954
Flags and Emblems Act. The implications of this were twofold:
(a) It became illegal to interfere with the display of a Union
Jack flag
(b) It gave the RUC the right to remove any other flag or emblem
on public or private property if it was thought that it might
lead to a breach of peace.
This second power was to be exclusively used against the 'tricolour' (the flag of the Republic of Ireland).
5 October 1968
The Civil Rights Association had planned a demonstration in
Derry, when the Apprentice Boys decided to hold a parade the
same day. William Craig, the then Minister for Home Affairs, banned all marches
on that day, but the Civil Rights Association decided to go ahead
with theirs. They were attacked by the RUC, dispersed, many of
them injured, and the episode resulted in two days of serious rioting
on the streets of Derry.
1 January 1969
March organised by the People's Democracy. The intention was
to walk from Belfast to Derry, although much of the route was
through Protestant countryside, and they were forced to take various
detours. At Burntollet Bridge, on the Derry to Claudy road, an ambush
was waiting for them and stones and bottles were hurled down
on them by Loyalists who were positioned on high ground over-looking the road. When they tried to escape into the fields,
police forced them back onto the main road, where they were viciously
attacked by men armed with crowbars, sticks and various other
weapons. The police did very little to protect them. Those who
were fit to continue to Derry did so, but were attacked again
along the road. Later that evening, after their arrival in Derry,
20 police constables went on the rampage in the Bogside, smashing
down doors and windows etc. Barricades were erected around Catholic
areas of Derry and rioting lasted for several days. The television
coverage of this episode reflected very badly on the police.
12 July 1969
Rioting followed the 12 July parades yet again in Belfast,
Derry and Dungiven, as youths threw stones and bottles at Orangemen.
12 August 1969
Battle of the Bogside. The Apprentice Boys held their annual
parade on the 12 August and as they paraded past the Bogside
(a working-class Catholic part of Derry) they jeered and threw
pennies at Catholics. Catholics responded with stones, and loyalist
supporters and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) then became involved. By 7.15 that evening,
a full scale riot was in progress, later referred to as the 'Battle
of the Bogside'. Once news spread to other parts of Northern
Ireland, rioting erupted in many Catholic areas across the North,
most notably Belfast. This continued on a wide scale until 2
days later (on the 14 August) Chichester Clark, the then Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, called for the mobilisation
of British troops on the streets of Northern Ireland.
1974
Formation of the Junior Orange Institution. As the name suggests,
this is a branch of the Orange Order which only accepts boys under
the age of 16.
July 1985
On 3 July 1985 the 'Tunnel', that is, the Catholic Obins
Street area of Portadown, became a subject of controversy. Thousands
of Loyalists demonstrated against a proposed Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) decision to re-route
a church parade away from the 'Tunnel' area.
On 06 July, 1985, the RUC gave the go-ahead for a church parade
to go through the disputed area, but it imposed a ban on similar
marches on the 12th and 13th July. The result of this decision
was to cause serious clashes in Portadown between Nationalist
protesters and the Police on 7 July as the Parade, consisting
of 2,500 Orangeman, passed through the Catholic Obins Street. Eight
policemen were injured and three people were arrested during
these clashes. On 12 and 13 July there was further rioting in
Portadown, this time between Loyalists and the RUC, as the Orange
order and Black Institution Parades were re-routed from the controversial
'Tunnel' area. Police had sealed off all the entrances
to Obins Street, and Loyalist protesters hurled stones and bottles
at them. Police responded with plastic bullets. In total 52 policemen
were injured and 43 people were arrested during these two days
of rioting.
March 1986
On 31 March 1986, Tom King, the then Secretary of State, announced
his decision to ban the Apprentice Boys Easter Monday Parade.
His decision was received with anger and resentment from Loyalists,
which they directed mostly towards the RUC. Rioting broke out
in Portadown and other parts of the North, police homes were attacked
with petrol bombs, and 11 Catholic homes were petrol-bombed in
Lisburn.
Despite the Secretary of State's ruling, approximately 400 Apprentice
Boys attempted to parade through the town centre of Portadown
anyway. Police and soldiers blocked the Bann Bridge but were
attacked by youths who threw stones, bottles and pieces of paving
stones. Police responded with plastic bullets, firing 125 in total.
However, the worst rioting was seen at Woodhouse street, the street
which leads to Catholic Obins Street. Bricks and breeze blocks
were stolen from a nearby building site, and used to attack police.
Meanwhile approximately 3.000 Loyalists, led by Ian Paisley, had assembled
in protest at Garvaghy Road and police were attacked there also.
Sporadic rioting continued for several days.
July 1986
On 3 July 1986, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) allowed an Orange Church parade
to pass through the Catholic Obins Street area of Portadown, but
banned the 12th and 13th July Parades from doing so. Three days
later rioting broke out when police prevented George Seawright, a Loyalist politician,
from passing through the 'Tunnel' area. On 11th July,
the Portadown Orangemen accepted the compromise offered to them
by the RUC, that is, that they could march along the Garvaghy Road
route; a compromise which was to result in a weekend of violence.
The weekend casualties included 128 police injuries, 66 civilian
injuries and 127 arrests. The riots continued in Belfast and Portadown
for six consecutive nights.