The Royal Black Institution will hold parades in six locations across Northern Ireland on Saturday 30 August 2014. Approximately 17,000 members of the institution from almost 370 preceptories will demonstrate in Rathfriland, Armagh, Londonderry, Ballyclare, Larne and Donemana.
The biggest parade will be in Rathfriland, which last played host to the event in 2001.
A total of 106 preceptories are expected to take part, accompanied by 80 bands. The parade will begin at noon on the Newry Road and go through the village to the Castlewellan Road.
The districts taking part are Lower Iveagh, Lecale, Castlewellan, Newry, Ballynahinch, Banbridge, Rathfriland, Mourne, Largymore, Comber, Newtownards, Saintfield and Bangor.
A religious service will be held at 2.45pm, conducted by Pastor Roy Graham. Ivan Kelly, Assistant Sovereign Grand Master, will speak.
A special attraction at Rathfriland will be a Children’s Choir from Uganda. They will take part in the parade in traditional costume and are expected to prove very popular with the spectators.
The New Beginnings Charitable Trust was founded in 2007 by Roger Annett, a native of Kilkeel, Co Down. The Charity was founded to help some of the hundreds of thousands of needy children in Uganda. The main aim of the Charity was, and is, to provide secure housing, education and medical facilities for underprivileged and orphaned children, in a Christian environment, and give them hope for the future.
About three years ago the children were encouraged to form a choir which is now touring Scotland and Ireland.
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