Twelfth of July celebrations begin across Northern Ireland

Tens of thousands of people are attending parades across Northern Ireland as the annual Twelfth of July commemorations get under way.

The main parades are being held in 18 venues across all six counties, with villages, towns and cities taking their turn to host their neighbouring lodge members.

The event memorialises the Protestant King William III's victory over the Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690.

This year, the Twelfth fell on a Sunday, which the Orange Order considers a religious day of rest, so the main parades are being held on Monday.

Angela Doherty, from the Lisbellaw Lodge, is in Maguiresbridge in County Fermanagh for the parade.

She said the junior lodge for girls had only been running for a few years but had "really taken off".

"We started with 18 members and now we have 30," she said.

"We take the girls on trips, it's a good way to socialise throughout the year and they love it. It's a way of them learning about their culture and having fun."

Jessica has been in the junior girls' lodge for about 10 months.

"I'm really enjoying it. I've made so many friends," she said.

County Fermanagh Grand Master Mervyn Byers is also enjoying the festivities.

"It's my last year and I'm delighted to have the Twelfth in Maguiresbridge, it's great for town parking and just off the main road," he said.

"It's the main day in the Orange calendar and the weather is in our favour."

The Twelfth is the biggest day in the Orange Order's marching calendar and this year is the 336th anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne.

Members of local Orange lodges are also joined on parade by visiting lodges from Scotland and further afield.

The main parade in Belfast set off at 10:40 BST at Donegall Square West.

Parades are also taking place in various parts of Northern Ireland including Maguiresbridge in County Fermanagh and Newtownhamilton in County Armagh.

The Grand Secretary of the Orange Order Rev Mervyn Gibson said bands and supporters will be out having a "great day".

He told Good Morning Ulster that all communities are welcome to the different events.

"We've seen tourists increase over the years, just coming for the Twelfth itself to see it, people from around Europe, plus our traditional supporters from Scotland and England and further afield, but also minority communities," he said.

On Saturday and Sunday night, hundreds of bonfires were lit to mark Eleventh night - a tradition observed by many unionist communities on the eve of the Twelfth.

The bonfires commemorate the actions of King William III's supporters in 1690, who lit fires across the countryside to welcome him and guide him to the battle site.

Most Eleventh night bonfires pass without incident, but some are controversial due to their height or location, or because they contain symbols considered offensive.

This year the bonfire in Moygashel in County Tyrone caused controversy again when an effigy of a mosque was burnt on Thursday night.

A man died after falling from an unlit bonfire in east Belfast on Friday night, a death which the bonfire organisers described as a "tragic accident".

Elsewhere, some bonfires have caused controversy because they include the display of contentious images and the burning of sensitive symbols such as national flags.

On Sunday, effigies of rap trio Kneecap were placed on another bonfire in Donegall Pass, south Belfast, along with a Palestinian flag, Celtic Football Club flag and Irish tri-colour.

More than £1.4m was spent by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in the past four years to protect and repair homes and property close to bonfires.