Advice for motorists ahead of Royal Irish Regiment ceremonial parade in Ballymena

The ceremonial Laying up of old Colours from the 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment will mark the regiment’s strong ties with the area for more than 60 years, prior to the closure of St Patrick’s Barracks.

At 11am, there will be a parade through the town centre featuring 300 current service personnel, veterans and cadets. The Band of The Royal Irish Regiment, the Bugles, Pipes and Drums of both battalions, Campbell College Pipes and Drums and the Regimental Mascot will be on parade, which will also feature the Old and New Colours of the Regiments’ 1st Battalion, currently stationed in Shropshire.

Guards will be formed from the 1st and 2nd Battalions, the regimental associations and affiliated cadet battalions and detachments.

Police are advising motorists, the parade will leave Trostan Avenue and make its way onto Castle Street - Mill Street - Wellington Street - Church Street - Castle Street and towards Meeting House Lane, before finishing at St Patricks Church.

In a statement, police added: “There will be disruption to traffic due to the volume of participants with local diversions in place between 11am and 12 noon, when the parade is expected to finish.“Officers will be on the ground to assist with the flow of traffic, but if you are not attending the parade, please seek an alternative route for your journey where possible.”

Previously, the regiment was bestowed the Freedom of the Borough and several thousand spectators are expected to be in attendance for the parade in its honour.

There will also be a range of free children’s entertainment including acoustic singers, petting farm, face painters and glitter tattoo artists, arts and crafts, roaming performers and balloon modellers.

Town centre car parks are operating as normal apart from Church Street 2 which is closed to the public.

Mid and East Antrim Council is advising the best place to view the parade is on Wellington Street and Church Street between 11am and 12noon.