SCOTLAND will see more than 160 Orange Order and loyalist marches across the country in the next three months, an analysis by The National has found.
In June, July and August, towns and cities across Scotland will see 168 processions led by the Orange Order, and other loyalist groups the Apprentice Boys of Derry (ABOD) and Royal Black Preceptory (RBP).
One in particular, in Stonehaven, was approved by Aberdeenshire Council despite concerns raised by residents. It will be the first time an Orange march, held by Dunnottar Martyrs Memorial Loyal Orange Lodge, will be held in the area for 25 years.
Previous attempts by campaigners to establish a Parades Commission – such as the one in Northern Ireland which has a much higher density of loyalist parades – have been unsuccessful.
Using public procession notices published by local authorities across Scotland, The National established that there have been 118 marches this year so far, 63 held by loyalist groups and 55 by the Orange Order.
In the next three months, Scotland will see 168 processions, the highest number on July 11, where 70 will be held in a single day.
North Lanarkshire will see 47 marches across various towns including Shotts, Wishaw, Airdrie and Coatbridge. The largest, held by the County Grand Lodge of Central Scotland will see 8000 Orangemen march in Wishaw.
In South Lanarkshire, there will be 16 marches across the local authority area on July 11, in areas including Hamilton, Carluke and Stonehouse. The Larkhall Orange & Purple District No. 41 will see 600 Orangemen take part in the march in the South Lanarkshire town.
July is usually the busiest in the marching calendar, where annual parades mark the Battle of the Boyne when William of Orange defeated King James II in 1690.
However, there are also a significant number set for the coming weeks in June.
There will be 17 marches on June 20 and 28 on June 27.
In Edinburgh on June 27, the County Grand Lodge of the East holds its Annual Boyne Demonstration, which will be made up of 3000 Orangemen. A smaller march in the city, led by the John Knox Orange & Purple District, will contain 250 marchers.
The Stonehaven march also takes place on this date alongside eight in East Lothian across Musselburgh, Tranent and Prestonpans.
There will be 15 smaller marches across Falkirk including Bo’ness, Stenhousemuir, Camelon and Grangemouth. There will be two marches in Perth and Blairgowrie.
On June 20, there will be six in Renfrewshire, four of which are led by the House of Hanover Loyal Orange Lodge District 18 in Linwood, Kilbarchan, and Johnstone
East Ayrshire will see five marches on that day, in Logan, Kilmarnock, Cumnock, Patna and Drongan.
Two Orange lodges will hold marches in Inverclyde, in Port Glasgow and Greenock, as will two in Ayr and Annbank in South Ayrshire.
Dreghorn Parish Loyal Defenders Orange Lodge will march with 50 attendees in Dreghorn and Springside in South Ayrshire, while Greengairs Purple Sprigs will hold a march with 80 attendees in North Lanarkshire.
The largest single event held in Glasgow, on June 21, will see 1700 Orangemen take part in the Grand Orange Lodge march which sees feeder marches link up with the main procession before making its way through the city.
The number of Orange walks in Glasgow and in other parts of Scotland have been dogged with controversy.
A man was jailed for 10 months in 2019 after he was found guilty of spitting at Canon White, then a Catholic priest, outside of St Alphonsus Church in the East End of Glasgow.
At the time, the court was told that Bradley Wallace, who was convicted, was motivated by anti-Catholic sentiment. The case led to calls for Orange marches to be banned from passing Catholic churches.
Police condemned "outbreaks of racist and sectarian singing" by those attending an Orange Order march in 2021.
In July last year, four marchers were hit with suspected air weapon pellets during an Orange walk in Glasgow City centre. No one was seriously injured.
The Orange Order held a meeting with the Scottish Government following the incident, claiming it was worried about “increasing hate crimes targeting the Orange and wider Protestant community”.
