Twelfth parades a 'massive step forward'
Northern Ireland has enjoyed its most peaceful Twelfth of July for years, according to police.
Last updated 13th Jul 2017
The Orange Order paraded past the Ardoyne flashpoint in North Belfast on Wednesday morning, without violent protests and agreed not to hold its return evening procession.
It comes after a deal was struck by residents, amid current political stalemate between the DUP and Sinn Fein.
Local representatives said it was a massive step forward for community relations.
Thousands of people took to the streets across Northern Ireland to mark the end of the loyal order's marching season.
PSNI assistant chief constable Alan Todd said officers made a small number of arrests.
He added: "These were very much in the margins of what has been widely described as the most peaceful Twelfth of July for some years and a model for years to come.''
Some annual Orange Order marches have seen serious violence in the past, with Ardoyne one of the most contentious.
This year hundreds of loyalist bandsmen marched past the shop fronts peacefully, in an early-morning parade.
As part of the deal an evening return parade was cancelled.
There was a heavy police presence in the residential side streets but riot-trained officers were not called into action.
Father Gary Donegan, a Catholic priest who has spent years working in Ardoyne, said: "Every step that happens here, no matter how small it is, is massive.''
The parades mark King William of Orange's victory over James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.
It comes as political tensions at Stormont failed to produce a breakthrough in recent weeks.