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Kilcluney Volunteers Flute Band from Markethill have had a busy time during the Twelfth celebrations this year – parading in Liverpool and Southport on Saturday, Bessbrook on Monday and Scarva on Tuesday.  It was the first time since 1934 that a band from Northern Ireland had taken part in the Twelfth of July parade in Liverpool.    Forty members of the band set off last Thursday for the parade in Liverpool, arriving early on Friday morning.  They were met on their arrival by members of the Protestant Reformers Memorial No.92.    Staying at a top hotel in Liverpool, the band members had a chance to visit Liverpool Cathedral and the Albert Dock, as well as a guided tour of Anfield and a chance to meet some of the players.  At the end of the day, they changed and played in a number of clubs, including the Garston, where they were presented with a plaque to commemorate their visit.    The crowds in Liverpool for the Twelfth Demonstration held on Saturday, July 11, were small in comparison to the parade in Southport, which Kilcluney also took part in.    Along the routes they took, the crowds showed their appreciation by applauding the local lads as they went by.    That night, they also performed on stage and were presented with a videotape of the day’s parade.  They presented the provincial club with a framed photograph of themselves in return.    On Sunday morning the locals took part in a Church parade, and on arrival at the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool, the band was given pride of place on stage along with all the dignitaries, including the Grand Master of England.    Markethill District LOL No.100 had given Kilcluney Volunteers a ‘County of the Diamond’ plate, which they presented to the Provincial Master in Liverpool. Bro. W Higgins, WM LOL No. 132.    The band arrived back in Larne at around 12.15am on Monday, and in Markethill at around 2am, to take part in the Bessbrook Demonstration later that day, and Scarva on Tuesday.   It was a tiring time for the band, but all members agreed it was worth every minute.    A spokesman for the band said: ‘This was more than just a parade for Kilcluney Volunteers.  This was a chance to show the English people that in Northern Ireland, loyalty to Queen and Country is just as important’.    The band hopes they will have the opportunity to parade again in Liverpool in the near future.

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