..but there was more BOOM! than gloom.

BOWLER hats were the Order of the day as tens of thousands of Orangemen, Orangewomen and their supporters took to the streets for the Twelfth parades yesterday.

The crowds enjoyed the day's earlier sunshine and carnival atmosphere with three flagship parades in Banbridge, Bangor and Larne.

And for the first time most of the shops in central Belfast were open, as the Twelfth rebranded itself as family-friendly Orangefest.

Stores closed again at 4.30pm as the parades made their return journey.

During an emotionally-charged speech the Grandmaster of the Grand Lodge of Ireland Robert Saulters claimed Protestants face "ethnic cleansing" despite the peace process.

He added: "We are in a peace process, I would say we are more into a situation of ethnic cleansing, we had seen that on the Ormeau Road in Belfast in the 1970s and it did work for Sinn Fein /IRA but don't tell the Government, they may not be able to sleep in their beds at night."

At the demonstration in Bangor, Co Down, the Grand Secretary of the Orange Order, Drew Nelson, said nationalists and republicans needed to reach out to Orangemen and women.

He claimed the Order had shown "goodwill and respect to nationalist and republicans" but that goodwill had not been returned.

Mr Nelson said his organisation had been the target of unprovoked attacks and had been compared to the Ku Klux Klan, a reference which he found offensive.

He challenged the leaders of nationalism to show "a greater understanding and tolerance of the Orange institution".

CAPTION(S):

HISTORIC Horse and cart leads marchers through East Belfast BEAT IT Parade follows Lambeg drummers in Glenarm, Co Antrim LEADER Belfast parade