In Pictures: Thousands descend on Richhill for Twelfth celebrations

Thousands descended on the small county Armagh village of Richhill to celebrate the Twelfth today.

Richhill played host to the biggest parade in Northern Ireland for the first time in over a decade.

A total of 18 venues hosted parades across the country, including Banbridge.

It has been 11 years since Richhill hosted the event and around 20,000 people crammed into the village to watch the procession of bands march through the main thoroughfare.

Eleven district lodges with 154 private lodges and 70 bands from across the county, where the Orange Order was formed in 1795.

But before all the colour and drumming, there was a moment of reflection at the newly renovated war memorial.

The other demonstrations were held in Lisbellaw, Cookstown, Beragh, Clogher, Coleraine, Kilrea, Bangor, Ballynahinch, Annalong, Hillsborough, Cloughfern, Broughshane, Cloughmills and Cullybackey.

View our gallery from Richhill below.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Most read today

• 

  Drink driver overturns car in Armagh overnight

• 

  Man ‘seriously assaulted’ during early morning incident in Portadown

• 

  Defendant racially abused and assaulted man as he prayed in Armagh missionary