An Orange march around a Co Antrim village on St Patrick’s Day led to "delay and upset" for people making the annual Slemish Mountain pilgrimage, it has been claimed.
Officials at Mid and East Antrim Borough Council will be questioned by a local representative over whether there was any consultation with Orange Order representatives. The council organises the Slemish event.
An eyewitness described traffic at one point slowing to a crawl on the dual carriageway out of Ballymena, while others who had arrived earlier in the day were reportedly stuck for a time as they were coming down from the mountain.
No parking is permitted within two miles of the Slemish site and mountain trekkers are encouraged to park at the Michelin plant outside the village and take a bus.
The witness said he saw buses being blocked and delayed. He said it was "beyond comprehension" why it was decided to have a parade on St Patrick's Day.
Several thousand people make the annual pilgrimage trekking the trail around the mountain every year. Slemish is where St Patrick as a young man is said to have worked as a shepherd and converted.
Last year a mini-festival with outdoor entertainment, including traditional music, dance and street theatre took place at the site,
Braid LOL this year then applied to have a parade, the first time one is known to have taken place on St Patrick’s Day in the village.
Eleven bands, an 2,000 members and a crowd of 5,000, were the declared numbers listed by Braid LOL as expected to take part. These numbers were filed with the Parades Commission.
The parade was listed to begin at noon, around about the peak time for visits to the mountain. The Orangemen applied to march through the town for two hours before stating they would parade again for three hours from 3pm, according to documents filed with the Parades' Commission. However, the parade ended around 4pm.
Braid LOL did not respond to a request for comment. In a social media post prior to the parade, the lodge wrote: "Happy St Patricks Day. The sun is shining and the pan is on for Paddys breakie in Broughshane Orange Hall."
Mid and East Antrim Alliance Mayor Noel Williams, who was on the mountain for a time, said he personally did not encounter any issues but that a "couple of groups said they were prevented from moving through Broughshane".
Police told him everything was clear as he was leaving.
Sinn Féin councillor James McKeown, of nearby Carnlough,said: "This caused delay and upset, with some changing plans at the last minute. I am going to be asking whether there was any contact with the organisers with the parade and discussions about timing."
A PSNI spokesperson said: "Police were aware of short delays due to traffic in Broughshane on Friday 17th March.
"Local diversions and traffic management were in place to facilitate road users and pedestrians. Officers engaged with those in the area to minimise disruption."
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* Our initial reports on the Braid LOL demonstration of March 17 said that it involved thousands of Orangemen. This was based on Braid LOL's formal declaration to the Parades Commission which said that 2,000 participants and 7,000 spectators were expected to assemble. However, we accept that the actual attendance was substantially lower that the figure given to the Parades Commission.
