In Northern Ireland, the Eleventh Night or 11th Night refers to the night before the Twelfth of July, an annual Protestant commemoration of the Battle of the Boyne (12 July 1690). On this night, many Protestant, unionist and loyalist communities in Northern Ireland light bonfires.[1] It is also known as "bonfire night", in common with other events in which bonfires are lit.[2][3][4]
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Traditionally, bonfires are lit to commemorate the lighting of bonfires on the hills of Antrim and Down to aid King William III's navigation through Belfast Lough (then Carrickfergus Lough) at night. William landed at Carrickfergus with English, French and Dutch forces with which to fight the exiled King James II, who had been trying to regain his British kingdoms through support amongst Roman Catholics of France and Ireland.
Bonfires in Northern Ireland traditionally mark the night before the Twelfth. However, should the Twelfth fall on a Sunday, as it did in 2009, the public holiday is given in lieu on the preceding Monday. This means that some bonfires may also be held on a Sunday night.
Some Eleventh Night bonfires involve sectarian and loyalist paramilitary displays. Symbols of Irish nationalism/republicanism (such as the Irish tricolour) and symbols of Catholicism are sometimes burnt on the bonfires.[1] The tricolours on such bonfires are often daubbed with sectarian slogans such as "Kill All Taigs" (KAT) or "Kill All Irish" (KAI).[5][6] Loyalist paramilitaries, such as the Ulster Defense Association (UDA) and Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), have also used Eleventh Night bonfires to hold "shows of strength" – which often involve masked gunmen firing volleys of shots into the air.[1]
Another issue that has been raised is drunkenness and violence amongst those attending.[1]
As with other bonfires, those on the eleventh night have raised both health and safety concerns, as well as environmental ones, particularly due to the use of tyres and the close proximity to buildings of some bonfires.[1][7]
Bonfires are often built to be as large as possible. In the past, and in some cases even now, bonfires have been built close to houses and council flat complexes, amongst other buildings. Roads are often damaged, and, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation, clean-up and repairs made to roads due to bonfire-related damage can "cost thousands of pounds", with some roads needing to be resurfaced.[1]
A major concern of bonfires that has risen to greater prominence in recent years is the pollution they cause. In some bonfires, despite bans by bodies such as Belfast City Council, tyres are burnt. Tyres produce many toxic chemical compounds when burnt, and therefore pose a major health issue.[1]
A more environmentally-friendly bonfire design, known as a beacon due to its pyramid shape, is enclosed in a metal cage, and made from willow chips, made from willow trees which re-grow within a year of being cut down. This makes the new beacon design of bonfire carbon neutral. The new design is being used in some areas of Belfast, where communities are given £1,200 for using these bonfires.
However, some Unionist communities oppose the beacon design, claiming that it infringes upon their culture.[1]