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299:(UVF) used Eleventh Night bonfires to hold "shows of strength", which involved masked gunmen firing volleys of shots into the air. After the conflict, some bonfire events have continued to be controlled by current or former loyalist paramilitary members. A 2018 government-backed report noted they were a way for paramilitaries to "extend their legitimacy and control community activities". In some cases, attempts by the authorities to intervene in controversial bonfires has sparked paramilitary violence.
353:, a Bonfire Initiative has been set up. When joining the initiative, the community groups who organize bonfires agree to a number of conditions. A "bonfire committee" must be formed; the gathering of material for burning may only begin on 1 June; only wood can be burnt; and paramilitary flags and emblems must not be displayed at the bonfire site. In 2010, groups who forbore from burning nationalist flags or symbols were awarded an extra £100 funding.
261:
223:, while some district councils also provide funding through cultural grants. Historically, bonfires were smaller and more numerous, but over time communities have joined to consolidate resources to build much bigger bonfires, often due to lack of space. The lighting of the bonfire is typically accompanied by a large street party and loyalist marching band.
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a street party – as long as they do not fly paramilitary flags or burn tyres. Some loyalist communities in
Belfast have begun using the beacons. However, many others oppose the beacon, claiming that it infringes upon their traditions. In 2009 six beacons were lit in Belfast on Eleventh Night; by 2024 this had grown to fifteen beacons.
360:
wood-chips, and set on a base of sand to protect the ground underneath. The willow trees re-grow within a year of being cut down, making the bonfires more environmentally sustainable. By agreeing to use the beacons, the communities qualify for up to £1,500 of funding from
Belfast City Council to hold
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Eleventh Night bonfires have raised health and safety concerns, as well as environmental ones. Bonfires are often built to be as large as possible. Some are built near houses and other buildings, which need to be boarded up and doused with water by firefighters to protect them. In some cases, homes
218:
by local young men and boys. They begin gathering and stacking the material weeks beforehand, and often keep watch at the bonfire site overnight to ensure they are "not lit prematurely by saboteurs". Community bonfire groups raise funds to pay for wood and sometimes
203:), which were non-sectarian. In the 18th century it also became a tradition for Ulster Protestants to light bonfires on 11 July to commemorate the Williamite victory, and for Catholics to light bonfires on 14 August to mark the Feast of the
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335:(marked as 'MB'), the companies that produce them warn people not to burn them due to the toxicity released which can cause significant damage to the lungs, liver and kidneys.
280:, and posters of Irish nationalist election candidates, are also sometimes burnt, which has been condemned as "inciting hatred". More recently, symbols of the large
268:
Eleventh Night bonfires sometimes involve sectarian displays. Symbols of Irish nationalism/republicanism (such as the Irish tricolour), and symbols of
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In 2009, Belfast City
Council began promoting "beacons" as an environmentally-friendly alternative. It is a pyramid-shaped metal cage filled with
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Although there are laws that could regulate dangerous bonfires, authorities are wary of enforcing them due to the threat of loyalist violence.
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out with one of the crews on their busiest night of the year – Bonfire Night. It is the eleventh hour of the eleventh night
272:, are often burnt on the bonfires. The tricolours on such bonfires may be daubed with sectarian slogans such as "Kill All
587:
934:
797:"Sulfuryl Fluoride Poisonings in Structural Fumigation, a Highly Regulated Industry—Potential Causes and Solutions"
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While the term
Bonfire Night once referred to Halloween, in Northern Ireland today it refers to the Eleventh Night
106:
312:, clean-up and road repairs due to bonfire damage "costs thousands of pounds every year". Another concern is the
235:
Ballycraigy bonfire in Antrim. Irish tricolours have been set atop the bonfire and are intended to be burnt. The
66:
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in
Ireland and has been maintained by the Protestant community. Eleventh Night events are often condemned for
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164:. There is also a belief that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills of counties
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In July 2022, a bonfire-builder died after falling from a 50 feet (15 m) tall bonfire in Larne.
160:, lit bonfires to celebrate. Some of those who did not join in the celebrations were attacked by the
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There have been attempts to make the bonfires more family-friendly and environmentally-friendly. In
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have caught fire, and bonfires have collapsed near crowds and onto roads. According to the
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777:"Firefighters protect homes during Portadown bonfire as Eleventh Night celebrations begin"
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The hallowed eve: dimensions of culture in a calendar festival in
Northern Ireland
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Barreau, T.; Hoshiko, S.; Kreutzer, R.; Smorodinsky, S.; Talarico, J. (2019).
760:"Terraced homes gutted as blaze sparked by embers blown onto roofs in Belfast"
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were burnt on some bonfires, which was described as "racist intimidation".
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caused. Tyres are burnt in some bonfires, despite bans by bodies such as
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Traditionally, both
Catholics and Protestants in Ulster lit bonfires at
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700:"Limavady bonfire: Election posters 'inciting hatred', says Sinn Féin"
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Unionists, Loyalists, and
Conflict Transformation in Northern Ireland
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194:
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539:"Paramilitary control of loyalist bonfires exposed in leaked report"
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International
Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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443:. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 54.
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neighbourhoods, and are often accompanied by street parties and
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105:, and for damage and pollution caused. Some are controlled by
662:"Craigyhill bonfire: Record-breaker dedicated to fall victim"
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Many of the crates used are dyed blue or red, these contain
712:"Poland flags burned on bonfires across Belfast on 11 July"
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and locally collected wood. They originally celebrated the
555:"Eleventh Night: Politicians call for bonfire regulations"
25:
A typical loyalist bonfire prepared for the 11th Night in
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16:
Ulster
Protestant bonfire celebration in Northern Ireland
648:"The Twelfth: Why are bonfires lit in Northern Ireland?"
874:"Full guide to all 11th night Belfast beacon bonfires"
846:"Tiger's Bay bonfire: NI ministers begin legal action"
606:
Gailey, Alan. "The Bonfire in North Irish Tradition".
859:"Larne bonfire: Man dies after falling from a height"
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when burnt, and therefore pose a major health issue.
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210:Eleventh Night bonfires are built mostly of wooden
264:A bonfire decked with Irish tricolours to be burnt
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251:Eleventh Night bonfire burning in Belfast, 2006
243:are flying from streetlights in the foreground
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513:"Eleventh night bonfires getting ready in NI"
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121:, the Eleventh Night bonfires celebrate the
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172:to help Williamite ships navigate through
125:(1688) and the victory of Protestant king
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634:. Oxford University Press, 2011. pp.93–97
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291:, loyalist paramilitary groups like the
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144:in Ireland. When King William landed at
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57:celebration. On this night, towering
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727:. Yale University Press, 2021. p.277
491:"Turning hotspot into friendly fire"
925:Protestantism in the United Kingdom
725:Northern Ireland: The Fragile Peace
276:" (KAT) or "Kill All Irish" (KAI).
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14:
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945:Summer events in Northern Ireland
738:"Health fears over burning tyres"
610:, vol. 88, No. 1 (1977). pp. 3–38
345:Attempts to address the concerns
101:broadly, such as the burning of
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950:Anti-Polish sentiment in Europe
930:The Troubles (Northern Ireland)
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148:in 1690, his supporters across
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681:Bowcott, Owen (13 July 2006).
573:. A&C Black, 2007. pg. 205
571:The Williamite Wars in Ireland
560:
505:
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405:Simpson, Mark (12 July 2004).
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1:
915:Festivals in Northern Ireland
872:Corr, Shauna (10 July 2024).
489:Mark Simpson (10 July 2009).
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303:Safety and environmental harm
140:(1689–1691), which began the
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371:History of Northern Ireland
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320:. Tyres produce many toxic
49:", is the night before the
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293:Ulster Defence Association
282:Polish immigrant community
935:Traditions involving fire
861:. BBC News. 11 July 2022.
714:. BBC News, 19 July 2012.
588:"The boy and the bonfire"
557:. BBC News, 13 July 2021.
407:"Damping down the flames"
226:
848:. BBC News, 9 July 2021.
740:. BBC News. 11 July 2007
702:. BBC News, 9 July 2014.
650:. BBC News. 9 July 2021.
67:loyalist marching bands.
138:Williamite-Jacobite War
107:loyalist paramilitaries
814:10.3390/ijerph16112026
297:Ulster Volunteer Force
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61:are lit in Protestant
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142:Protestant Ascendancy
79:Protestant Ascendancy
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910:Anti-Irish sentiment
331:(marked as 'SF') or
318:Belfast City Council
113:Origins and overview
723:Cochrane, Feargal.
545:, 26 February 2018.
386:Unionism in Ireland
123:Glorious Revolution
322:chemical compounds
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205:Assumption of Mary
95:Irish nationalists
77:, which began the
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782:Belfast Telegraph
667:Belfast Telegraph
592:Belfast Telegraph
450:978-0-8131-2081-2
329:Sulfuryl fluoride
127:William of Orange
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881:. Retrieved
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414:. Retrieved
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376:Orange Order
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289:the Troubles
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256:Sectarianism
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99:Irish people
83:sectarianism
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270:Catholicism
162:Williamites
136:during the
119:The Twelfth
27:Newtownards
899:Categories
515:. BBC News
493:. BBC News
392:References
295:(UDA) and
241:Union Jack
176:at night.
43:11th Night
689:. London.
314:pollution
195:Halloween
190:Bealtaine
181:Midsummer
129:over the
833:31174396
608:Folklore
437:(1998).
411:BBC News
365:See also
278:Effigies
154:province
134:James II
131:Catholic
89:against
63:loyalist
59:bonfires
824:6603922
744:13 July
497:13 July
416:17 July
351:Belfast
287:During
212:pallets
200:Samhain
185:May Day
158:Ireland
71:pallets
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821:
519:8 July
456:18 May
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358:willow
227:Issues
221:cranes
216:lumber
193:) and
166:Antrim
150:Ulster
97:, and
37:, the
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274:Taigs
117:Like
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521:2021
499:2009
458:2011
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418:2011
239:and
214:and
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310:BBC
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