Alrighty, so there’s been quite a stir in south Down recently, folks. A DUP rep is making some noise about public safety concerns after a pretty brutal assault went down following an annual Loyal Orders parade. The incident went down in Kilkeel, right after a big ol’ march organized by the Rising Sons of the Valley. Picture this: 30 bands strutting their stuff in the parade on May 17, and then chaos erupting the next day.
According to reports, a 50-year-old man got jumped in the toilets of a pub, and to make things even more interesting, there was a big ol’ fight involving 20 guys in the wee hours of Sunday, May 18. Yikes, talk about a wild weekend! The PSNI is all over this, trying to figure out what went down. But wait, there’s more drama unfolding in the area. A meeting about the Mourne Gateway Project sparked a complaint about a breach of conduct, and there’s talk about Northern Ireland’s largest fishing port getting a chunk of a £360m UK grant. Exciting times in south Down, huh?
Now, the plot thickens as Mournes DUP cllr, Henry Reilly, steps into the ring. He’s calling for a flute band from outside the district to be banned from future parades in Kilkeel. Henry is not happy, folks. He’s shocked and appalled by the whole situation, especially since he knows one of the victims personally. Poor guy got beaten up real bad, and there’s even a video floating around online showing the whole ugly scene. Henry’s not having it, and he’s demanding justice. He wants the band responsible to be banned for life from Mourne. Will justice prevail? Only time will tell.
