July 12 is a Northern Ireland public holiday and many locals of all backgrounds take the Twelfth Fortnight as their annual summer holiday. All banks and the vast majority of shops and businesses close on the day, and quite a few stay shut for longer.

If you’re visiting Northern Ireland in or around July 12, always check opening times of shops, restaurants, entertainment venues etc before making big plans.

The Orange Order is Northern Ireland’s largest Protestant organisation. Its origins lie in the 1690 Battle of the Boyne when Protestant King William of Orange defeated Catholic King James to become England’s monarch.

In 1795 Protestants and Catholics clashed again at the Battle of the Diamond and King William’s supporters pledged a new oath to ‘Crown and country and the Reformed religion�? The Orange Order was born.

The Order sees itself as a champion of Protestantism and defender of a British Protestant monarch. It is organised into lodges, some of which are in former British colonies as far afield as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Ghana. July 12 is the most important date in the Orange calendar and marks the anniversary of King William’s Battle of the Boyne victory.

Orangemen and women commemorate the Twelfth with colourful parades along well-worn routes throughout Northern Ireland and in Co. Donegal. In recent years some of these parades have made world headlines as Orangemen try to assert their right to march along ‘tradition routes�?through Catholic Nationalist areas, most notably Drumcree in Portadown and Belfast’s Lower Ormeau Road. Many Catholics vehemently oppose these parades which they regard as sectarian and intimidatory.

Orangism and Unionism have long been bedfellows in Northern Ireland’s political history. Many Unionist politicians, including the DUP’s Ian Paisley and UUP’s David Trimble, are staunch Orangemen.

As a more secular society grows in Belfast and throughout Northern Ireland, the Orange Order has experienced a decline in numbers over recent years. However, if you’re in Belfast on July 12, you cannot fail to witness a spectacle like no other on this island.

If you want to watch the parades for yourself, stay in the city centre or Lisburn Road to see small boys in orange sashes march proudly in front of huge Orange banners, marchers hurl batons as high as lampposts and bandsmen beat the living daylights out of gargantuan Lambeg drums.

On the Eleventh Night, bonfires are lit in staunchly Protestant areas. Many are massive constructions of wooden palettes, old sofas and rubber tyres topped with Irish flags or effigies of prominent Nationalist figures. Bonfire architects battle it out to see who can build the biggest and shifts of young guardians ensure rival builders don’t steal their burnable booty.

The bonfires are often burnt amid drunken revellery from boozed up young people. If you can't resist the urge to see the bonfires for yourself, it's probably best to do so from afar. Otherwise, go with someone local whom you know and trust.

For more information about the Orange Order, visit www.grandorange.org.uk.

Ok boys so what are your 12fth plans? I have a special 11fth night plans