0:00:02 > 0:00:06This programme contains some strong language and some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting
0:00:06 > 0:00:08This is Belfast.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12It's 15 years since The Troubles came to an end here,
0:00:12 > 0:00:16and these days, it looks like any other city in the UK.
0:00:16 > 0:00:17On the surface, at least.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22SHOUTING AND SIRENS
0:00:25 > 0:00:30But this city is still divided up between Catholics and Protestants,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33and summertime here often means rioting.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36GLASS SMASHES
0:00:37 > 0:00:40I've spent this summer on the front line
0:00:40 > 0:00:43with a Loyalist marching band, trying to find out why
0:00:43 > 0:00:48so many young people who grew up with peace are now feeling so angry.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50They're trying to stop our culture,
0:00:50 > 0:00:53they're trying to stop it altogether.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55And they'll not be happy until it does stop.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00And I've met people on the other side of a deeply-divided city.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02It's a territorial thing, really, here.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04That's their land and this is our land.
0:01:04 > 0:01:10This is the story of how one band marched into the eye of a storm,
0:01:10 > 0:01:14and how I found myself caught in the middle, as it all went wrong.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17There are bricks and bottles coming through
0:01:17 > 0:01:19and the water cannon's being used and plastic bullets.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21It's a full-on riot.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39Welcome to Belfast.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46I'm Alys Harte.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49I moved here four years ago to work for the BBC.
0:01:49 > 0:01:55I enjoy living and working here - it's usually a fun and safe city.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58Until last year, when this happened.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01SHOUTING AND SIRENS
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Massive riots kicked off when the British flag
0:02:07 > 0:02:10was taken down from Belfast City Hall.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Protestant Loyalists, who are staunchly British,
0:02:15 > 0:02:17saw it as an insult.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19They went crazy for weeks.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24We want our flag back up. That flag means more to us than just a symbol.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30This riot happened just a few minutes' walk from my flat.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33FIREWORK EXPLODES
0:02:40 > 0:02:41It's all a long way
0:02:41 > 0:02:42from where I grew up.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50This is where I'm from -
0:02:50 > 0:02:52County Donegal, in the Republic of Ireland.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56It's close to the border with Northern Ireland,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59but it's a different country and a very different place.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06I was brought up a Catholic. But, for me, the kind of division
0:03:06 > 0:03:09that is part of life in Northern Ireland
0:03:09 > 0:03:10just wasn't an issue.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16Religion plays such a huge role in Northern Ireland.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19My mum tells a story, I think I was 11 before I piped up and said,
0:03:19 > 0:03:20"Am I a Catholic or a Protestant?"
0:03:20 > 0:03:23I didn't feel divided like that.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27It was more straightforward here and people didn't have
0:03:27 > 0:03:31a complicated relationship with their national identity,
0:03:31 > 0:03:33or with what religion they were. It was...
0:03:33 > 0:03:35So, it's just much more straightforward here.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56For some people in Belfast, what religion you are,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59or where you're from, still really matters.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06I'm on my way to a part of Belfast where most Catholics would never go.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11To enter a world that's usually closed to outsiders.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19These Loyalist flute bands walk the streets here every summer.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26They are loyal to the Queen and proud of being British,
0:04:26 > 0:04:28and this is how they show it.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Many Catholics despise bands like this.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37They see them as celebrating Protestant supremacy
0:04:37 > 0:04:40over Catholics and they find it really offensive.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47Now I'm going to meet one of the most controversial bands around.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52So, here we are.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57It feels pretty... It's very British -
0:04:57 > 0:04:59they've flags flying everywhere.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02I think now that I'm just here, I'm a wee bit...
0:05:02 > 0:05:04a wee bit apprehensive.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06This isn't my part of town,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09so I don't know how welcome I am or how often, really, you know,
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Catholics would go into a building like that, erm...
0:05:13 > 0:05:15Yeah.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28DRUMMING GROWS LOUDER
0:05:35 > 0:05:38This band is called Pride of Ardoyne.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42They have a reputation amongst some Catholics as being offensive.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49It's very rare for an outsider like me to be invited in like this.
0:05:49 > 0:05:50But some members of this band
0:05:50 > 0:05:53say they want to set the record straight.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Gary is the band's lead drummer.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07He's 22 and he works in a factory.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11He recently became a dad.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13The band takes up the rest of his time.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18It's always been there, if you know what I mean? It's part of my life.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21It's kind of always been practice every week, parades most weekends.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25It's just... It's been part of me growing up. I've always been there.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30Gordie's also just become a dad.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35He's out of work, so being in the band means a lot to him.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37The band, it's a...
0:06:37 > 0:06:42It's like a...an escape, if you like, to get away from...
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Like, not that family life is crap,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47but just to get away from it and to have your own group,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50have a laugh and stuff, and...
0:06:50 > 0:06:52take your mind off things. It's brilliant.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Being here in this room is a bit strange for me.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04You can't even be in a band like this
0:07:04 > 0:07:09if you're a Catholic - only Protestants get to beat these drums.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11It's also men only.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16We're going to teach Alys how to play the bass drum.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18INDISTINCT CHATTER
0:07:18 > 0:07:21'So when band leader Michael asks ME to join in,
0:07:21 > 0:07:23'I'm not sure what to do.'
0:07:23 > 0:07:26I have no rhythm at all.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28I'll keep you right...
0:07:52 > 0:07:55CHEERING
0:07:57 > 0:08:00Oh, yeah, you've got me fired now!
0:08:04 > 0:08:09'I can't believe I played a bass drum for a Loyalist flute band.'
0:08:09 > 0:08:11I'm in so much trouble!
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Band practice is over for tonight,
0:08:28 > 0:08:32but it looks like my time with Pride of Ardoyne is just beginning.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34They've agreed to let me follow them this summer
0:08:34 > 0:08:36as they march the streets.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41In a week, they'll bring me to my first parade.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47To many people in Belfast, especially Catholics,
0:08:47 > 0:08:51Loyalist bands like Pride of Ardoyne exist in a different world.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Meet Tania and Roisin.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Tania is 19 and hoping to train to be a nurse.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02Roisin has just finished her A-Levels
0:09:02 > 0:09:04and wants to be airline cabin crew.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09Tonight, they're out in Belfast city centre.
0:09:11 > 0:09:1520 years ago, the violence meant that much of the city centre
0:09:15 > 0:09:16was a no-go area after dark.
0:09:18 > 0:09:19Not any more.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Belfast is actually a really, really good place to go out.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Like, the nightlife is really nice and there's no bother
0:09:26 > 0:09:28when you go out. The city centre in Belfast
0:09:28 > 0:09:30is a really neutral place.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33You wouldn't get anybody that's going to worry about
0:09:33 > 0:09:35where you're from or what religion you are.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38No-one asks questions like that when you come into town.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48But Tania and Roisin don't live in the city centre.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51They're from Ardoyne, in the north of the city.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54In fact, the Pride of Ardoyne band hall isn't very far away.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00But that's not somewhere Tania and Roisin could ever go -
0:10:00 > 0:10:01because they're Catholics.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07This part of Belfast is really divided along religious lines.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11Even the bus stops are Catholic or Protestant.
0:10:11 > 0:10:17The girls would never consider using the Protestant one.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Do you not think it's funny that
0:10:19 > 0:10:22you don't get the bus stop closest to your house?
0:10:22 > 0:10:25I think it's quite funny that people think that's weird,
0:10:25 > 0:10:29because if you go to a bus stop that's not in your area,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32you're kind of at risk, anything could happen,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35there's no definite thing that you're safe.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38Like, if we've got a bus stop in our own area and we know that
0:10:38 > 0:10:40if we get on the bus, we're going to know somebody
0:10:40 > 0:10:43and it's more local, then we're going to get that bus.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Roisin, what about you?
0:10:47 > 0:10:50Why would I get a bus over there if I've got a bus stop here?
0:10:50 > 0:10:52You know, it wouldn't make a difference, like.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55I wouldn't put myself at risk of someone saying, "She's a Catholic."
0:10:55 > 0:10:59It's not as if you're fighting for your church or anything.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03It probably started about religion, but it's not about religion no more.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06God doesn't come into it, doesn't he not?
0:11:06 > 0:11:07SHE LAUGHS
0:11:07 > 0:11:10It's absolutely nothing to do with religion, whatsoever.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14I think people have been so brainwashed by politics.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17Whatever they think it is, people still act on it -
0:11:17 > 0:11:19so you have to react.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26Tania and Roisin say it's about two tribes and their turf.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28And Tania told me she would consider
0:11:28 > 0:11:31leaving this area to get away from it all.
0:11:33 > 0:11:34It's a territorial thing, here.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38Like, that's their land and this is our land.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40That's the way it is, that's how they see it.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45The divisions don't just exist in people's heads.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52When one side feels their turf is under threat,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54it can get very ugly very quickly.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01Every summer, Pride of Ardoyne band marches past the Catholic estate
0:12:01 > 0:12:03where Tanya and Roisin live.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06The Catholics don't want them
0:12:06 > 0:12:08and every summer, it leads to violence.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15The kind of violence that,
0:12:15 > 0:12:19if it happened anywhere else in the UK, would be big news.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26I want to know what it is about these parades
0:12:26 > 0:12:28that Catholics find so offensive,
0:12:28 > 0:12:30so it's about time I went to one.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39- You going to leave your car there? - Aye, mate.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44It's Friday night and for Gordie and Gary, it's time to march.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49This is what it's all about for them.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56I've never been to a Loyalist band parade before.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02This parade is staying on the Loyalist side of the lines,
0:13:02 > 0:13:06so it won't attract any protests from Catholics.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09In fact, the only Catholic here will be me.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23The whole point of band parades is about asserting that
0:13:23 > 0:13:24you're Protestant and British.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Lots of the songs celebrate historical victories
0:13:29 > 0:13:31when Protestants beat Catholics in battle.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36The song they're playing now, The Sash, is a famous one.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40That's one reason why Catholics
0:13:40 > 0:13:43don't like bands like this marching past.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46But the band see it differently.
0:13:46 > 0:13:47The reputation, kind of,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50people think is...we're young yobs,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53either are looking to disrupt
0:13:53 > 0:13:56and to cause chaos, and we're not.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59It's a family band out looking to enjoy themselves
0:13:59 > 0:14:02for the community and to support our culture.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09On their flags, drums, and uniforms
0:14:09 > 0:14:11are the names of four band members who were killed
0:14:11 > 0:14:15during the conflict here, which became known as The Troubles.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Through the '70s, '80s and '90s,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31there was carnage on the streets of Northern Ireland.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38Republican groups like the IRA wanted the British Government
0:14:38 > 0:14:42to leave Ireland and thought violence was the way to get there.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48Loyalists wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK
0:14:48 > 0:14:50and they fought back.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55In the violence that followed, 3,600 people died
0:14:55 > 0:14:57and up to 50,000 were injured.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Two of the men remembered by the band,
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Sammy Rocket and William Hanna,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13were reported to be Loyalist paramilitaries.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20These were illegal groups who murdered many Catholics,
0:15:20 > 0:15:24so Catholics find it offensive that when the band goes out marching,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27the names of paramilitaries are on the band uniforms.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33They see these men as villains.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38The band see them as martyrs.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47We don't class them as paramilitary. They were band members.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50They were in the band. Anybody who was killed in The Troubles
0:15:50 > 0:15:54with the band... That's why they're on our bannerette.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Don't think paramilitaries are anything to do with it.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59It was just... they were members of the band.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Same with anybody in the band, doesn't matter who they are,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04they're getting remembered because past band members have been killed.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13I was walking along with the band and the music was rousing
0:16:13 > 0:16:16and everyone's out on their front step cheering them on,
0:16:16 > 0:16:18and everyone's in a really good mood and the sun is shining,
0:16:18 > 0:16:21and they've had a couple of drinks, and I kind of get it.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26I know why they love it, and I know why it feels so important to them.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31I'm just always left with...
0:16:31 > 0:16:33the question about Northern Ireland
0:16:33 > 0:16:37is that every time people say we're celebrating our culture,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40it is at the detriment to someone else's culture.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55In some ways, it's not surprising how divided this place is,
0:16:55 > 0:16:57when you consider the recent history here.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02Even though 15 years ago, a majority of people voted for peace,
0:17:02 > 0:17:06there have been plenty of disturbing incidents since.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12Tania and Roisin were caught up in one of the worst of them.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Aged just seven and eight,
0:17:16 > 0:17:17the girls were pupils at
0:17:17 > 0:17:19Holy Cross Primary School.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22It's a Catholic school,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24but it's in the Protestant Loyalist part of Ardoyne...
0:17:25 > 0:17:29SHOUTING
0:17:29 > 0:17:33..and in 2001, things went very wrong.
0:17:37 > 0:17:42INDISTINCT SHOUTING
0:17:42 > 0:17:45Some Protestant residents began picketing the Catholic children
0:17:45 > 0:17:47and their parents as they walked to school.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Get over the other side!
0:17:52 > 0:17:55It got out of control very quickly
0:17:55 > 0:17:58and it made headlines around the world.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02There has been more violence tonight in North Belfast, on the second day
0:18:02 > 0:18:06of protests about the route Catholic children are taking to school.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10We didn't really take in that they hated us,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14because we knew there was no reason, like, we hadn't done anything wrong.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17And it wasn't really our business, as such.
0:18:17 > 0:18:23So we kind of just walked up the road and protected ourselves.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26The main thing was to stay away from whatever they were throwing in.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29We were making a tunnel out of all the parents and the police.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33We were just kind of making our way through, because we were so small.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40The Holy Cross dispute stretched out over weeks.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46Roisin remembers having bags of urine thrown at her and her friends.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48SHOUTING
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Yelling, blowing whistles,
0:18:50 > 0:18:54throwing water balloons with piss. Disgusting.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59It had to be explained to me, like,
0:18:59 > 0:19:02what a Protestant was and what a Catholic was,
0:19:02 > 0:19:05so I understood why everyone was fighting.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09You're a fucking dirt-bag!
0:19:18 > 0:19:21It doesn't matter what side of the line you live on.
0:19:21 > 0:19:26Many people here, even the younger ones, have been touched by violence.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32Gordie, the drummer in the band, was almost killed when he was a child.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Today, he's taking us to the place where it happened.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43..me and my daddy was walking down the Shankill. I can't remember
0:19:43 > 0:19:46what building it was that blew up, but we were just three shops away.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54We only stopped because I saw a motorbike in the shop window,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57or something, that was the only reason why we stopped.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00So if I hadn't, we probably would have been right outside it.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09A lot of people was murdered.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20Ten people died when the IRA bombed the Shankill fish shop in 1993.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24It was one of the worst incidents
0:20:24 > 0:20:27of the whole conflict in Northern Ireland.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37What kind of experience have you and your family had of The Troubles?
0:20:37 > 0:20:40My granddad, he was shot when he was standing in the kitchen
0:20:40 > 0:20:44washing his hands - through the head, by the IRA.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47But there was no-one ever caught or brought to justice for it.
0:20:48 > 0:20:49A few years later
0:20:49 > 0:20:53and the IRA came to Gordie's house to kill his father.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57His father and grandfather were targeted
0:20:57 > 0:20:59because they were in the British Army.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01My daddy's next-door neighbour at the time...
0:21:01 > 0:21:04The IRA came out to shoot...
0:21:04 > 0:21:06It was meant to be for my daddy,
0:21:06 > 0:21:08but he was away in work at the time
0:21:08 > 0:21:11and the next-door neighbour got shot dead in place.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13So that was a bit of an upset, like,
0:21:13 > 0:21:15so they had to pack up and move
0:21:15 > 0:21:18because of death threats and stuff. Because that happened.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23See, I was only a young boy when I was hearing those stories,
0:21:23 > 0:21:27and I thought all this here - guns and the army and stuff -
0:21:27 > 0:21:29I thought... I used to think it was great.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33But now when you're older and really take into consideration what...
0:21:33 > 0:21:35People trying to murder my father and stuff,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37and my grandfather WAS murdered. It's...
0:21:39 > 0:21:42It's daunting, like. You wouldn't know what to do
0:21:42 > 0:21:44when you're in the situation yourself, like.
0:21:54 > 0:21:55It's the middle of June,
0:21:55 > 0:22:00four weeks away from the Twelfth of July celebrations.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04On the Loyalist side, one of the big summer traditions is under way.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07The night before the bands take to the streets
0:22:07 > 0:22:11on the twelfth of July, they'll gather round a massive bonfire.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16This tradition goes back over 300 years,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19to the victory of the Protestant King William
0:22:19 > 0:22:22over Catholic King James at the Battle of the Boyne.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25The bonfire will be huge -
0:22:25 > 0:22:30so huge, they have to start building it weeks in advance.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34They collect as many wooden pallets from local businesses as they can.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Every year, there's fierce competition between
0:22:38 > 0:22:40Loyalist neighbourhoods.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42Size is everything.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Tully's a flag-carrier in the band -
0:22:47 > 0:22:50he's been building these bonfires for years.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55Lee, also in the band, is his right-hand man.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01How long does it take you to build a bonfire?
0:23:01 > 0:23:04You'd start usually about mid-June, have it done,
0:23:04 > 0:23:07you'd work right up until the 11th of July
0:23:07 > 0:23:09and you'll have it finished there for it getting lit that night.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12And what are you celebrating?
0:23:12 > 0:23:15We're just celebrating our culture, cos it's been going on
0:23:15 > 0:23:17for so many years, you were brought up to do it.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19It's just something you want to keep going.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25They start by building a hut.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29From now until the bonfire is built, they'll use this as a guard-post
0:23:29 > 0:23:32to protect it, in case Catholics come in from
0:23:32 > 0:23:36the other side and set it alight or other Loyalists steal their wood.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39So you guys stay overnight in the hut?
0:23:39 > 0:23:41Aye, we'll just stay till the next morning,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44till the kids come out of their beds and then they'll be running about.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46And for how long are you staying in there?
0:23:46 > 0:23:48- In the hut?- Yeah. - That there's us out every night.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50- Every night?- Aye.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59On the Twelfth of July, hundreds of marching bands
0:23:59 > 0:24:00will take to the streets
0:24:00 > 0:24:03and many of them will march past Catholic areas.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10Tania is already dreading it,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13because the parade traditionally goes right past her house.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20- The house is just on the edge... - Yeah.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23- ..of the Ardoyne and the parades would go...- Yeah.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26..straight across the... Or just outside your house.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28What's it like here on the 12th?
0:24:28 > 0:24:32It's hectic, it's really bad here.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37People on the front of the road would probably cover their windows
0:24:37 > 0:24:41and stuff like that, so missiles and stuff don't come through your window.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Last year, just before Christmas,
0:24:43 > 0:24:47someone managed to throw a brick through Tania's window.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51It means she no longer really feels safe in her own bedroom.
0:24:51 > 0:24:52Does that make you feel nervous?
0:24:52 > 0:24:55Would you sleep in here on the night of the 12th?
0:24:55 > 0:24:59No. Like, most years so far, I haven't even been in my house,
0:24:59 > 0:25:04I've stayed at my granny's or went to a friend's house.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Or I would sleep in my mum's room, or in the living room,
0:25:07 > 0:25:08on the floor, yeah.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Because it's too dangerous, like, it's such an easy target.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19What does the Twelfth represent to you?
0:25:19 > 0:25:21In all seriousness, it doesn't mean anything to me -
0:25:21 > 0:25:22it's just a day of trouble.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30The wall outside Tania's house is the dividing line
0:25:30 > 0:25:33between Protestant and Catholic.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37But it's small, compared to some of the other ones in Ardoyne.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42These huge barricades are called peace walls.
0:25:42 > 0:25:47They're there for one reason - to keep the two communities apart.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52There's talk of trying to take some of these walls down,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54but Tania doesn't want that.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56I probably wouldn't feel safe in my house,
0:25:56 > 0:25:58and there'd be no escaping it, either,
0:25:58 > 0:26:01because I couldn't sleep in all the rooms now
0:26:01 > 0:26:04that I go to because I can't sleep up here.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08I don't think many people would continue living here
0:26:08 > 0:26:10if there was no protection there.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22It's the 21st of June and tonight,
0:26:22 > 0:26:25the band are getting ready for the first big parade
0:26:25 > 0:26:26of the marching season.
0:26:33 > 0:26:38It's in Belfast and it's called the Tour of the North.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40And they've agreed to let me follow them.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48I feel like I should have a drum or something.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Once, these bands could pretty much march anywhere they wanted to.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03But more protests by Catholics mean that these days,
0:27:03 > 0:27:08they are often re-routed away from Catholic areas.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10When that happens, the band don't like it.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14People are feeling very angry about it, like.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17It's upset a lot of people.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20They've been taking away, chipping away at us, year by year,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24taking bits and bits away from us - like not walking down
0:27:24 > 0:27:27certain roads, not playing certain tunes at certain points.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31And they're trying to stop our culture,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33they're trying to stop it altogether.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36And they'll not be happy until it does stop.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39On tonight's march,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42the band have already been told they won't be allowed to walk
0:27:42 > 0:27:45their usual way home, past the Catholic part of Ardoyne.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54They'll have to go home another way.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59CHANTING DROWNS SPEECH
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Somewhere up ahead is a police roadblock.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08We're coming up to the blockade now.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11Everyone's getting really excited, the band are all shouting
0:28:11 > 0:28:14and all the supporters are kind of getting excited.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23They're coming up to the police lines now,
0:28:23 > 0:28:27they're going to march right up - it's totally hectic.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41GLASS BOTTLE SMASHES
0:28:46 > 0:28:49They're starting to throw glass bottles,
0:28:49 > 0:28:51so why don't we stay right back?
0:28:51 > 0:28:53- But... - INDISTINCT SHOUTING
0:28:57 > 0:29:00The band is angry that they have been stopped,
0:29:00 > 0:29:03but they disperse quickly and the situation calms down.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12Tonight, the band will take this decision on the chin,
0:29:12 > 0:29:15because they know the most important day to get up this road
0:29:15 > 0:29:17is the 12th of July.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21On that day, they have always been allowed through...
0:29:22 > 0:29:25..and they expect this year to be no different.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29Now, the big day is just three weeks away.
0:29:39 > 0:29:44It's the end of June and it's Roisin's last day of school.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47But this school is different to most others in Northern Ireland.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53Here, Catholics and Protestants go to school together...
0:29:54 > 0:29:56..and it seems to work.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03Lots of people think this may be a solution to the division.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05But in Northern Ireland,
0:30:05 > 0:30:09it's still very rare. Only 7% of young people are in mixed schools.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14There's a reason Roisin wanted to go to school here...
0:30:14 > 0:30:17EXPLOSION
0:30:18 > 0:30:20..Holy Cross.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23After the ordeal of being attacked by Protestants
0:30:23 > 0:30:27on her way to primary school, Roisin made a big decision.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31I just thought I didn't want to judge them all for what, like,
0:30:31 > 0:30:33some of them had just done.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36I wanted to give, like, other people a chance.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38Cos not everyone's the same, so...
0:30:41 > 0:30:44Why do you think there aren't more integrated schools?
0:30:44 > 0:30:46Cos not everyone agrees with it, no way.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49Really? Do you think people would disagree with a mixed school?
0:30:49 > 0:30:51- Yeah, definitely.- Even if... Yeah.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54The thought of little kids mixing with other people
0:30:54 > 0:30:57- of different religions, definitely, like.- Really?- Yeah.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00I know people that didn't want me to be sent here - my family.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04- Really?- Yeah.- Why?- Disagreed with it. They didn't think it was right.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07What do you think the best bit is about integrated school?
0:31:07 > 0:31:10It doesn't teach one solid religion, like, it's open-minded to everybody.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12It doesn't teach you that they're different
0:31:12 > 0:31:14or you're different. It's, like, yous are all equal,
0:31:14 > 0:31:17so yous'll all be treated as equal. Religion doesn't come into it.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27But back in Ardoyne, the divisions still matter.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29Even Roisin has to live with them when she's on home turf.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34Tania has only recently started walking up to the school
0:31:34 > 0:31:36to pick up her cousin.
0:31:37 > 0:31:41Roisin hasn't walked up the road to Holy Cross since it happened.
0:31:41 > 0:31:42Until today.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47Do you remember the last time you walked up the road?
0:31:47 > 0:31:49No, I was trying to think, but no.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54- Does it feel a little weird? - Yeah, it feels really weird.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56I want to hide behind Tania!
0:31:56 > 0:31:58THEY LAUGH
0:32:00 > 0:32:02Would you be conscious of who's looking at you?
0:32:02 > 0:32:03Yeah, really. Definitely.
0:32:05 > 0:32:09- Why?- Cos this is a Protestant area and we're Catholic.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26Everywhere you look, you can see the letters K-A-T
0:32:26 > 0:32:28written on the walls.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30What does that say there on...?
0:32:30 > 0:32:31Kill All Taigs.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33What does that mean?
0:32:33 > 0:32:35Kill all Catholics.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37GIRL CRIES
0:32:37 > 0:32:40The graffiti, it does say K-A-T everywhere.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44Taig is just slang for Catholic, really. Um...
0:32:44 > 0:32:48And they paint the pavements red, white and blue -
0:32:48 > 0:32:51it's kind of just marking their territory.
0:32:51 > 0:32:56I did say before, "There's our land and their land,"
0:32:56 > 0:32:58and it's completely different,
0:32:58 > 0:33:00and you can see the invisible division,
0:33:00 > 0:33:03you can feel it, and you just don't cross it.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08The Holy Cross protests may have stopped,
0:33:08 > 0:33:12but it feels like the hatred is still here, written on the walls.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15It's no wonder Roisin isn't happy.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25- Hello, Amy.- Want to say hello?
0:33:25 > 0:33:28When I was walking up the road that day,
0:33:28 > 0:33:30I was just so nervous, I don't know why.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33It's not just like a normal Protestant area,
0:33:33 > 0:33:36where you can be like, "Oh, right, I'll chance it."
0:33:36 > 0:33:39But because so much has happened up there...
0:33:41 > 0:33:42- See you later.- Bye!
0:33:46 > 0:33:48That's a really bizarre experience,
0:33:48 > 0:33:51not least for the girls, because one thing that was really clear
0:33:51 > 0:33:53was that Roisin, in particular,
0:33:53 > 0:33:56was looking over her shoulder every few minutes.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00I mean, it was really concerning
0:34:00 > 0:34:05and it's just so frightening to think that now, after all this time,
0:34:05 > 0:34:10that they really, genuinely, are concerned about walking to a school
0:34:10 > 0:34:13that they went to, to pick up their wee cousin, which is, like,
0:34:13 > 0:34:15300 metres up the road.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26Just around the corner from the school,
0:34:26 > 0:34:31on the Loyalist side of the peace wall, the bonfire is taking shape.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35It's only a fortnight until the 12th of July,
0:34:35 > 0:34:36when it has to be finished.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40Tully and Lee are working on it
0:34:40 > 0:34:41almost every day -
0:34:41 > 0:34:43staying out most nights to guard it.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52But when the sun is out, there's always time for a barbecue.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55The band doesn't just march together -
0:34:55 > 0:34:58they and their families hang out together, too.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01Go over and get them.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03Go and get the baps out.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05HE LAUGHS
0:35:05 > 0:35:06Excellent work, Gordie.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10- All my hard work. All me, no-one else.- I know.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14You've been vindicated now, all the hard work's paid off.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19INDISTINCT CHATTER
0:35:21 > 0:35:24'Tully tells me the bonfire-building is on course.
0:35:24 > 0:35:29'When it's finished, the bonfire will be as high as the peace wall.'
0:35:29 > 0:35:31Can the people over the peace wall see the bonfire?
0:35:31 > 0:35:36They can see in their houses, they can see right over.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39Sometimes, they sit and talk to you
0:35:39 > 0:35:42and give you a wee wave, or you could be lucky and get a finger from them!
0:35:43 > 0:35:45Do you give one back?
0:35:45 > 0:35:46I just laugh. You have to.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50HUBBUB DROWNS SPEECH
0:35:50 > 0:35:51'When the bonfire is finished,
0:35:51 > 0:35:53'they'll put an Irish flag on top of it,
0:35:53 > 0:35:56'because the Republic of Ireland is seen as
0:35:56 > 0:35:58'the traditional enemy of Loyalism.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01'There's no getting around it - that's pretty provocative
0:36:01 > 0:36:04'and offensive to most Catholics.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07'Michael, the band leader, makes an appearance.'
0:36:07 > 0:36:10Why do you put the Irish flag on top of the bonfire?
0:36:10 > 0:36:14It's not the flag of our country, it's a foreign flag in our country.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18Just like they burn the Union Jack. It's a foreign flag.
0:36:18 > 0:36:23INDISTINCT CHATTER
0:36:23 > 0:36:24The Tricolour?
0:36:24 > 0:36:26The Tricolour, yeah, that's my flag.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29It's your flag - I know it's your flag. But why is it your flag?
0:36:29 > 0:36:32- Cos I'm from Donegal. - Oh, you're Donegal.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36Our flag's the Union Jack.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39We just put it up cos it's always been the way.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44'With the big Twelfth of July marches just around the corner,
0:36:44 > 0:36:47'the band still hasn't found out whether they will be allowed
0:36:47 > 0:36:51'to march past the Catholic estate at Ardoyne.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54'They feel they have a right to walk down the road.'
0:36:54 > 0:36:56How do you think people would feel
0:36:56 > 0:36:58if you weren't allowed to march past Ardoyne at all?
0:36:58 > 0:37:00It's supposed to be a shared space. They're allowed to walk to
0:37:00 > 0:37:03their schools, but we're not allowed to walk down onto the Shankill.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05Of course they should be able to walk to their schools.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09Does that happen?
0:37:10 > 0:37:13Our kids coming home from school and the abuse they're getting,
0:37:13 > 0:37:15- it's terrible. - Getting spat at, getting chased.
0:37:15 > 0:37:21'Kill all Huns' is the other side's answer to 'Kill all Taigs'.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23It means - kill all Protestants.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28On both sides of the fence, it feels like people
0:37:28 > 0:37:32are prepared to believe almost anything about each other.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34If you were walking down past the Ardoyne shops,
0:37:34 > 0:37:37through the Catholic area on your own, what would happen to you?
0:37:37 > 0:37:41It depends, they could know you, they might not know you, so...
0:37:41 > 0:37:44But if they knew that you were from up here?
0:37:44 > 0:37:46Good luck to you. That's all I would say.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48You're not getting by there.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55SMOKE ALARM GOES OFF
0:38:02 > 0:38:08It is really surprising that three miles from where I live,
0:38:08 > 0:38:14these guys are living with such huge division and hatred.
0:38:16 > 0:38:17It feels dangerous.
0:38:17 > 0:38:22It feels like it wouldn't take very much
0:38:22 > 0:38:25for it to really kick off.
0:38:25 > 0:38:30Those boys, as lovely as they are, are angry, angry, angry boys.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36And the other side are angry.
0:38:36 > 0:38:43And just because we've had 15 years of peace
0:38:43 > 0:38:50doesn't mean and doesn't seem to be changing the way that they feel...
0:38:52 > 0:38:54..or reaching them, quite. So...
0:38:56 > 0:39:03It does... It feels like it could be very dangerous. It feels volatile.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07RADIO: 'This is BBC Radio Ulster.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13'The Parades Commission has ruled that the Orange Order
0:39:13 > 0:39:17'cannot parade past the sectarian interface at Ardoyne.'
0:39:20 > 0:39:24It's the 11th of July, the day before the parade,
0:39:24 > 0:39:26and there's some surprising news.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29For the first time ever, the band have been told
0:39:29 > 0:39:33they won't be allowed to march home past the Catholic estate.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38Loyalists right across Northern Ireland are outraged.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44I think the Protestant people have just pushed too far this time.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47I think we kind of took it on the chin for a couple years,
0:39:47 > 0:39:49but I think it's been pushed too far
0:39:49 > 0:39:52and somebody's going to have to sort it out.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55It's like a powder keg, they've been...
0:39:55 > 0:39:59The fuses are there and I think now it's been lit.
0:39:59 > 0:40:00I think now it's just ready to erupt.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05It looks like there's going to be trouble.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10I go to see Tania, who's starting to get worried.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14What do you think will happen now?
0:40:14 > 0:40:17It's kind of changed the game, hasn't it?
0:40:17 > 0:40:19A lot of people are saying they don't know,
0:40:19 > 0:40:21they can't expect anything and this is different
0:40:21 > 0:40:24than any other year, but I think it's going to be a lot worse.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27I think it's going to be the worst yet.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29Why so?
0:40:29 > 0:40:32Because it was such a dramatic change,
0:40:32 > 0:40:34it's such a dramatic decision to make.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37And this has never happened before. The parade's always went up.
0:40:40 > 0:40:42It's time for Tania to batten down the hatches.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47She has to move her bed away from the window...
0:40:50 > 0:40:53..and cover the glass with bin bags, in case it's broken.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58It is a really bizarre way to have to live, but, unfortunately,
0:40:58 > 0:41:01for people that live in Ardoyne, that's usual -
0:41:01 > 0:41:04that's normal for us and that's just what you have to do.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21On the other side of the peace wall, Tully has done his job.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29From the top of the bonfire, he can look over the wall
0:41:29 > 0:41:32into the Catholic estate and they can see him.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36The Fire Brigade turn up to make sure the bonfire
0:41:36 > 0:41:38isn't going to collapse once it's lit -
0:41:38 > 0:41:42something that happens pretty often to bonfires of this size.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46- Good, isn't it? - Aye, are you pleased?
0:41:46 > 0:41:48Oh, aye. Happy with that, like.
0:41:48 > 0:41:50What'll happen now?
0:41:50 > 0:41:53Gets burnt. Twelve o'clock.
0:41:53 > 0:41:54How do they burn it?
0:41:54 > 0:41:59Petrol. Down it, then a big pipe and then just light it.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01Light it by a petrol bomb, or just petrol?
0:42:01 > 0:42:02Don't know. See what happens.
0:42:04 > 0:42:06The bonfire is covered in Irish flags,
0:42:06 > 0:42:10and there's that slogan again - Kill all Taigs,
0:42:10 > 0:42:11or kill all Catholics.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18This is really bizarre for me.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22By now, I feel welcome in this community,
0:42:22 > 0:42:24but they're burning the flag of my country
0:42:24 > 0:42:25and writing slogans about killing anyone
0:42:25 > 0:42:28who happens to be Catholic, like me.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37It's midnight. The big moment is finally here...
0:42:38 > 0:42:40..and the petrol bombs come out.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45CHEERING
0:43:05 > 0:43:07CLAPPING
0:43:09 > 0:43:10That's something else.
0:43:10 > 0:43:14I don't know if they have any Health and Safety rules, but...
0:43:18 > 0:43:20The band won't get a lot of sleep tonight.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23In just five hours from now, they will meet to march.
0:43:23 > 0:43:28But this 12th of July won't be like previous ones.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32It's obvious that trouble is brewing.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37What about the decision to stop yous on the way back?
0:43:37 > 0:43:40Dreadful, don't know how they came up with that.
0:43:40 > 0:43:42I'm disgusted, sure.
0:43:42 > 0:43:46- Do you reckon people are pretty cross?- Aye.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52What do you think could happen? Do you think it could kick off?
0:43:52 > 0:43:53I could see it happening.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56You can just tell that tensions are high at the minute.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00Tully thinks that the Catholics on the other side have managed to get
0:44:00 > 0:44:04the parade banned because they've rioted every year when it happens.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13We want to see what happens if we kick off.
0:44:26 > 0:44:29It's the morning of the 12th of July,
0:44:29 > 0:44:32and it promises to be one of the hottest days
0:44:32 > 0:44:35Belfast has seen in years.
0:44:35 > 0:44:39Today, the band will march almost 20 miles in 28-degree heat.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42It's like waking up Christmas morning,
0:44:42 > 0:44:44getting everything you've ever wanted -
0:44:44 > 0:44:46goose-bumps running up and down your back.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49Your hairs stand on end when you hear them cheering and stuff.
0:44:49 > 0:44:50It's brilliant.
0:45:00 > 0:45:04Today, Pride of Ardoyne will be at the centre of a storm.
0:45:04 > 0:45:06Everyone will be watching them to find out what will happen
0:45:06 > 0:45:11at the end of the day when they are stopped from marching home.
0:45:11 > 0:45:15I'm the only outsider who's been allowed to walk with them.
0:45:24 > 0:45:30It's 8:30am. The band have been joined by their supporters
0:45:30 > 0:45:32and they're marching into the city centre.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35Everyone is hyped-up.
0:45:36 > 0:45:40On this early-morning outward leg of the parade,
0:45:40 > 0:45:43the band are allowed to march past the Catholic area.
0:45:43 > 0:45:45But they won't be allowed to return this way.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54The band are just coming down towards the flash-point part.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56And they've been joined by loads and loads of supporters.
0:45:56 > 0:46:00And just behind us is where the Republican protest is going to be.
0:46:00 > 0:46:03They're allowed to walk past this morning,
0:46:03 > 0:46:06but later, they'll be stopped before they get to this point.
0:46:16 > 0:46:18Suddenly, the police move in.
0:46:22 > 0:46:26So the supporters are going to try and actually get down through here,
0:46:26 > 0:46:29but the police and shields are barricading up.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35The band were supposed to walk past the Catholic area
0:46:35 > 0:46:37with only 100 supporters,
0:46:37 > 0:46:41but many more have turned up and they're not allowed through.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49It's not even nine o'clock in the morning and already,
0:46:49 > 0:46:51there's a stand-off with police.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03On the Catholic side, Tania is getting nervous.
0:47:05 > 0:47:08Last night, I went to bed quite early because I was too scared.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10Maybe I thought I'd fall asleep before anything happened.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13There was shouting and stuff, People were singing, like,
0:47:13 > 0:47:15"Kill all Taigs" and stuff and I was, like,
0:47:15 > 0:47:19"Wow, I've never had to go to sleep with that kind of lullaby before!"
0:47:19 > 0:47:22Bit weird. No, I didn't sleep very well
0:47:22 > 0:47:25and I woke up at about eight o'clock
0:47:25 > 0:47:29to wait and see what the news was up here.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36The band are wondering if their big day is over
0:47:36 > 0:47:38before it has even begun.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42So what happens if you don't get down, do you think?
0:47:42 > 0:47:44Don't know. Have to wait and see.
0:47:44 > 0:47:46Play the waiting game now.
0:47:47 > 0:47:51'But after a bit of negotiation, they are on the move again,
0:47:51 > 0:47:55'towards the Catholic area and the protestors.'
0:47:55 > 0:47:58Band on this side, police on this side,
0:47:58 > 0:48:00and the other side, the protestors.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04And along this stretch, they're not allowed to have any hymns,
0:48:04 > 0:48:08sing, chant - just a single drumbeat.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10And there's lots of people just over here.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16SINGLE DRUMBEAT CONTINUES
0:48:22 > 0:48:25That parade is offensive. It's celebrating the death of Catholics.
0:48:25 > 0:48:26We have every right to say,
0:48:26 > 0:48:29"Look, that's offensive. You can't just walk past our area
0:48:29 > 0:48:30"and offend people like that."
0:48:32 > 0:48:35The second the band cross the invisible dividing line
0:48:35 > 0:48:39into a Loyalist area, the restrictions are lifted.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43When these boys hit the roundabout, then they can play.
0:48:43 > 0:48:48SINGLE DRUMBEAT CONTINUES
0:48:48 > 0:48:51DRUMMING SPEEDS UP
0:48:56 > 0:48:59So that's it. We've come through the tense bit.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02The police, by and large, will step back now.
0:49:02 > 0:49:04It just depends what happens later on this evening
0:49:04 > 0:49:07when they try to come back up home.
0:49:07 > 0:49:11That was tense. I can breathe now!
0:49:20 > 0:49:23In the city centre, tens of thousands of people
0:49:23 > 0:49:25are out on the streets.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36Halfway through, the band gets a break.
0:49:36 > 0:49:40On the way home, they know they'll meet a police roadblock,
0:49:40 > 0:49:43and no-one is expecting it to be peaceful.
0:49:45 > 0:49:49What do you reckon will happen when you get stopped by the police?
0:49:49 > 0:49:51I think once the police go heavy-handed...
0:49:51 > 0:49:54Our ones aren't going to stand and take it.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57I think our ones will come out in force and show them.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59So I can see it just going nuts.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02Lee, what do you reckon?
0:50:02 > 0:50:04I don't know what will happen. I don't know.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07Anything could happen.
0:50:15 > 0:50:19It's early evening and the band are marching home.
0:50:20 > 0:50:21CHEERING
0:50:21 > 0:50:24When the band come into town, they get a really big reception
0:50:24 > 0:50:26because of all the controversy.
0:50:26 > 0:50:28Watch how the crowd react.
0:50:39 > 0:50:41The atmosphere is different now.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43A lot of people have been drinking.
0:50:47 > 0:50:50Pride of Ardoyne is getting a huge reception.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04The crowd knows they're minutes away from hitting the roadblock.
0:51:11 > 0:51:13At Catholic Ardoyne, crowds have gathered
0:51:13 > 0:51:16and there are hundreds of police.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20It's tense, but they know the band won't be allowed past this time
0:51:20 > 0:51:22and, for the first time in years,
0:51:22 > 0:51:24there's no rioting on the Catholic side.
0:51:28 > 0:51:30Back in the middle of the Loyalist parade,
0:51:30 > 0:51:33we're almost at the police roadblock.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38CHEERING
0:51:40 > 0:51:42At first, there's a street party atmosphere.
0:51:45 > 0:51:48Then the first bottles are thrown at police.
0:51:50 > 0:51:52The police helicopter's just above
0:51:52 > 0:51:55and they're starting to throw missiles across.
0:51:57 > 0:51:59Guys are coming up on top of the Land Rovers.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09A water cannon is brought out...
0:52:13 > 0:52:15..and very quickly, it's used.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19We are caught in the middle.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22The atmosphere changes very quickly.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27Then a man approaches the camera and threatens us,
0:52:27 > 0:52:30telling us to stop filming and to get out.
0:52:33 > 0:52:37I film on my phone, as Gary moves back and Gordie is soaked.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45Up at the police lines,
0:52:45 > 0:52:47members of another band are attacking the police.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51Some of them are using ceremonial swords.
0:52:53 > 0:52:57It's getting serious and it's clear we're not safe here any more.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04We've just had to move from the other side of the police lines
0:53:04 > 0:53:07where, basically, we were threatened by a man
0:53:07 > 0:53:09I can only assume was a paramilitary,
0:53:09 > 0:53:11and the band got very tetchy
0:53:11 > 0:53:13and asked us to get out as quickly as possible.
0:53:13 > 0:53:14There are people lying in there
0:53:14 > 0:53:17with their heads split open from the water cannon.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19I'm totally soaked.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22And it doesn't look like that's going to end any time soon.
0:53:22 > 0:53:24When we were leaving, there was reams of boys
0:53:24 > 0:53:26running through with bricks in their hands.
0:53:26 > 0:53:28You just knew it was time to go.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37And soon, it gets a lot worse.
0:53:41 > 0:53:43There's bricks and bottles coming through
0:53:43 > 0:53:46and the water cannon's being used and plastic bullets -
0:53:46 > 0:53:47it's a full-on riot.
0:53:52 > 0:53:56Across Belfast, 32 police officers will end up being injured tonight.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01I watched the riots for several hours,
0:54:01 > 0:54:04but I didn't see any of the band members I knew taking part.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09The 12th of July is drawing to a close
0:54:09 > 0:54:12and my marching season is over.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16It's the end of the biggest day of the marching season,
0:54:16 > 0:54:20but I've no idea how long this is going to go on for.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23It might go on for a couple of hours, the way some of the band
0:54:23 > 0:54:26were speaking to me, it might go on for a couple of days.
0:54:26 > 0:54:30But even beyond that, this is Belfast today.
0:54:30 > 0:54:34You know, so many years after an agreement. And this isn't normal,
0:54:34 > 0:54:37this isn't normal society.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42It doesn't give me a lot of hope, really, for the future.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45It kind of feels like this is deja vu,
0:54:45 > 0:54:48and it's the kind of thing that's just going to go on and on.
0:55:23 > 0:55:25I'm just going to up and leave North Belfast,
0:55:25 > 0:55:28I don't think I'll be here.
0:55:28 > 0:55:30The fact that when people don't get their own way, chaos breaks out
0:55:30 > 0:55:33and all they do is riot. And that's the only solution,
0:55:33 > 0:55:36and nobody even offers to sit down and just talk something out,
0:55:36 > 0:55:39which is the most mature thing to do,
0:55:39 > 0:55:40which will actually get things done.
0:55:40 > 0:55:43No, I don't want to be here, it makes life too difficult
0:55:43 > 0:55:47and I don't want my kids, when they grow up, having the same trouble.
0:56:06 > 0:56:08I'm going to stay at it.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11Hopefully, we'll get up this road and keep on supporting
0:56:11 > 0:56:13and marching and celebrating our culture.
0:56:15 > 0:56:19If I get up this road, it will be a big bonus.
0:56:19 > 0:56:22We're not going to push for anything else - this is all we want.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25We don't want any violence ourselves, or...
0:56:25 > 0:56:28We just want up home, to be able to celebrate,
0:56:28 > 0:56:30to be able to finish our 12th.
0:56:30 > 0:56:31It's not over yet.
0:57:00 > 0:57:05Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd