WHILE Twelfth of July parades will take place this year, there are doubts surrounding the annual ‘Donegal Twelfth’ parade at Rossnowlagh.
The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland has confirmed that Twelfth of July parades will be held, but they will small and held locally due to restrictions on numbers at gatherings.
Last year’s Twelfth parades were cancelled due to Covid-19.
Lodges in Raphoe, Manorcunningham and Newtowncunnigham are among a number of lodges in Donegal who usually have feeder parades before attending larger demonstrations.
Traditionally, two Sundays before July 12, around 200 Orangemen and women attend an annual service in St Johnston, hosted by the ‘True Blues’ Orange lodge in the village.
“In relation to localised parades in Republic of Ireland, these can go ahead but they must adhere to the regulations applicable at the time for Republic of Ireland,” a spokesperson for the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland told Donegal Daily.
The spokesperson said the organisation did not have any clarity over its plans for Rossnowlagh.
Until 2020’s event was scrapped due to the pandemic, the annual commemoration has been held in Rossnowlagh in its current format since 1978.
Around 50 lodges take part and generally attracts thousands of people.
Under the Irish government’s Covid-19 plans, from July 5 the numbers permitted at outdoor organised events can increase to a maximum of 200 for the majority of venues, with a maximum of 500 for outdoor stadia/venues with a minimum accredited capacity of 5,000.