
Band parade on Open weekend is hailed a huge success as crowds pack Portrush
The annual parade, organised by the local Sons of Ulster Flute Band, coincided with the penultimate day of the tournament.
Large crowds gathered in the seaside town to enjoy the parade as it moved off at 8.30pm, finishing up at 10.45pm.
Local TUV councillor Allister Kyle was among those at the parade and praised its success.
"I was proud to be in Portrush on Saturday night, seeing the vast crowds, many of whom were in golf attire, clearly having attended The Open during the day and staying to enjoy the incredible musical spectacle in the evening,' he said.
"Once again, I congratulate Portrush Sons of Ulster, particularly their committee, for organising one of the most successful nights Portrush has seen in years.'
The parade was led by Ballykeel Loyal Sons of Ulster Flute Band.
The bandmaster, Robert Thompson earlier told the Coleraine Chronicle his band had no hesitation in supporting Portrush Sons of Ulster's decision to go ahead with the rally.
He said: 'It's an annual fixture and one of our favourite parades that is treated as a family day out.
'At the end of the day, it's Portrush's [Sons of Ulster] prerogative. Whatever they chose to do, we were backing them 100%.
'If they had chosen not to have held it, we would have backed them. But they chose to go ahead and asked us to have the privileged of leading it, and we jumped at the chance.'
The route took in Metropole Green, Sandhill Drive, Eglinton Street, Kerr Street, Upper Main Street, Main Street, Causeway Street, Victoria Street and Dunluce Avenue.
The Parades Commission application listed 83 bands taking part.
Bands taking part came from all over Northern Ireland including Dungannon, Belfast, Londonderry and Coleraine.
That makes it bigger than any single Twelfth parade.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of sports fans are in the area for The Open at the nearby Royal Portrush Golf Club, which concluded on Sunday,
The Open: International visitors share views on Portrush
The organising band was offered around £20,000 by organisers to postpone their parade — which they refused.
Outside the Station Bar today, Jeff McCusker said the band was 'definitely right to not accept the money'.
'The parade is every year on this date and if the golf organisers wanted to they could have reached out long before they did to the band,' he said.
Despite fears of traffic chaos those helping with the traffic flow in the town said while it was heavy at times they kept it moving around the town.
Some tourists in the area for The Open decided to stick around after the golf ended to watch the marchers.
Harn Huang who was visiting Portrush for The Open from South Africa with her mum and boyfriend said: 'We don't have anything like this. I'm here to see both the golf and the parade. It's very cool.'
But not all were even aware a parade was taking place including couple Luke Kelly and Mackenzie Brown from Phoenix, Arizona.
Mackenzie said: 'We're not aware of any band parade and can't stay unfortunately.
"I didn't know what to expect in Portrush (for The Open). It was breathtaking – the course and the cliffs and the water.'
Canadian tourist Jess Marks, who was at The Open with partner Tim Shaw from Germany, said they didn't know anything about the march but had heard there was 'an event that might cause a few problems at the train station with more people trying to leave'.
Earlier this week, Mark Darbon, chief executive of the Royal & Ancient (R&A), said there would be "marginal adjustments" of about 15 minutes to the golf tee-times to try to ensure both events can take place in a "seamless" way.
"We recognise that when we bring The Open Championship to town, we are a guest in the community in which we operate," he said.
"On many occasions, there are concurrent events that take place around the action that we are very focused on here, within the walls of the venue.
"So, recognising the events that are taking place on Saturday, we have worked really collaboratively with the organisers and across multi-agency groups to ensure, primarily, that both events can run as seamlessly as possible.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Scottie Scheffler backed to follow in Tiger Woods' footsteps as 'weakness' claim made
Scottie Scheffler, 29, blew the rest of the field away to win his fourth major title last week and add the Claret Jug to his two Masters victories and win at the PGA Championship Ernie Els insists Scottie Scheffler is every bit as dominant as Tiger Woods was at his peak and has backed the Texan to become one of the all-time greats after winning The Open. Scheffler, 29, blew the rest of the field away to win his fourth major title last week and add the Claret Jug to his two Masters victories and win at the PGA Championship. It was a performance that had more than a trace of Woods at his very best. Scheffler is the first world No.1 to win The Open since Woods in 2006 and has now won all four of his majors having led after 54-holes - a trait Woods was famously known for after converting an overnight lead into a major title 14 times. Both men also took 1197 days to win their fourth major from the date of their first triumph, and the pair are two of only four players – the other two being Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player – to win the Masters, The Open and PGA Championship before the age of 30. And two-time Open Champion, and fellow four-time major winner, Els thinks as long as Scheffler continues to dominate, his name will carry on being mentioned alongside Woods'. 'There's always going to be similarities between Scottie Scheffler and Tiger because of the way he's performing and the way he's winning,' said Els, speaking at the launch of his new golf club, Els Club Vilamoura. 'It's very much the way Tiger did things. He takes leads and he doesn't relinquish those leads. He's not scared of winning anymore, he knows how to win. He's becoming ruthless in that manner. 'His game is awesome. He's got no real weakness. His putting is one of his strengths now, so all in all, he's very, very interesting to watch. I'd love to see what he does in the next five to 10 years.' Scheffler's triumph at The Open also continues the recent stronghold on the competition held by US players. The last three Claret Jugs have been lifted by those who hail from across the Atlantic thanks to Xander Schauffele and Brian Harman's wins in 2024 and 2023 respectively. For Els, it dispels the myth about Americans struggling on links courses. 'I think you adapt,' continued the South African, who won his first Open at Muirfield in 2002 before winning the Claret Jug 10 years later at Royal Lytham & St Annes. 'When you're a good ball striker, and you have to be a good ball striker on links land, if you can strike the ball out of the middle of a club, you will learn how to play on links. 'It's normally a good ball striker who will get himself to learn how to play. Scottie Scheffler has learned how to do that. David Duval did that, Phil Mickelson too. 'There are a lot of players that have done that and had success on links course] that have never really played links. 'When you find your way around links, you're going to have success, and that's what's going on.' Els played a nine-hole exhibition to open the Els Club Vilamoura alongside Scottish legend Colin Montgomerie and 2001 Open Champion David Duval. The Algarve course is a championship-standard 18-hole golf course that features a luxury clubhouse and signature amenities such as the 261 Bar, and was built on the redesigned Victoria course, which hosted the Portugal Masters from 2007 to 2022. It will host the new PGA Champions Tour event, the Portugal Invitational, after signing a five-year deal. The first edition of the event is set to be held between 31 July to 2 August 2026. Els said: 'Golf is in the pretty sweet spot at the moment and [creating this course] has been a really nice venture. We want the conditions to be absolutely perfect and for people to have a great experience and good food.' Montgomerie added: 'The golf course is superb, and the clubhouse is fantastic. It's not just a course for the present; it's a course for the future as well.' PGA TOUR Champions announces the Portugal Invitational to be held at The Els Club Vilamoura on course designed by Ernie Els. PGA TOUR Champions, Arrow Global Group, Turismo de Portugal, and Turismo de Algarve will deliver a five-year partnership and will debut the week of July 27, 2026, and will feature a field of 78 players. For more information visit


Scotsman
a day ago
- Scotsman
Notable absentees in Scottish Amateur Championship at Gullane
Connor Graham and Cameron Adam among star players sitting out national championship Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Alexander Farmer's bid to become the first player since 1983 to successfully defend the Scottish Amateur title has been boosted by some notable absentees for this week's event at Gullane. Showing that the national championship no longer holds the standing it once had, Connor Graham, Cameron Adam and Jack McDonald are all playing instead in other events. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Blairgowrie teenager Graham, who played in The Open a fortnight ago, is teeing up in the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge at Roxburghe Schloss, where McDonald is also in the field as an amateur. Alexander Farmer shows off the trophy after winning last year's Scottish Amateur Championship at the St Andrews Links Castle Course | Chris Young/Scottish Golf Meanwhile, 2023 winner Adam, who also played at Royal Portrush two weeks ago, is competing in the Western Amateur in the US along with Niall Shiels Donegan, who would have been another leading contender for the Scottish crown. It means that the likes of Farmer, 2022 winner Oliver Mukherjee and two-time beaten finalist Gregor Tait are some of the top names heading into battle on the East Lothian coast. Not since Charlie Green achieved the feat 42 years ago has a player successfully defended this title but, on the back of his victory at the Castle Course in St Andrews 12 months ago, Farmer is ready to give it a go. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I've never played Gullane, so I'll get two practice rounds in and get to know the courses and, hopefully, make it through to the match play,' said the 20-year-old Kilmacolm player. 'In match play anything can happen. You can play really well one day and the other guy plays better, or you can play badly and win. Match play is weird that way.' Fraser Walters among the locals to look out for A field of 256 players will tackle Gullane No 1 and No 2 over the opening two days on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the top 64 progressing to the knock-out stage.


Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
LIV Golf star who brutally sacked caddie and coach secures lucrative £3m payout
Joaquin Niemann lifted his fifth LIV Golf title of the season at the JCB Golf and Country Club on Sunday, bouncing back after sacking his coach and caddie following a poor performance at The Open Joaquin Niemann won the LIV Golf UK title on Sunday after firing his coach and caddie. Having failed to make the cut at The Open Championship a little over a week ago, Niemann bounced back with a vengeance at JCB Golf and Country Club. The Torque GC captain shot an impressive six-under-par 66 in the opening round and bettered that with a 64 on Saturday. Sunday saw the star hit a weekend high round of 68, but was still able to finish three strokes clear of runner-up Bubba Watson with a total score of 17-under. Following his disappointment last Friday, the Chilean golfer made several changes before arriving at JCB last week. In a significant move, Niemann recently parted ways with his long-time caddie, Gary Matthews, and coach, Eduardo Miquel, reports the Irish Star. Reflecting on the changes within his team after his second round on Saturday, Niemann said: "I'd say it's been a little weird the last two, three weeks. There have obviously been a few movements on my team. "At the same time, it is what it is. I'm really grateful for them, for the two people that they are not working with me anymore on the team, but it's part of it. "I feel like I was pretty frustrated at the beginning of this week after a bad result, obviously, at The Open as well, and all the rest kind of going on. I feel like... not low, but I wasn't, like, going on the golf course going into this week, I wasn't feeling that confident at all. "I think it was just keep doing the same work that I'm used to and keep working with my team and why we work every time, stay positive with myself." Niemann has been streets ahead of his rivals on the LIV circuit, securing five wins in 11 outings this season. And his win on Sunday in Rocester landed him an impressive £2.9million payday for his efforts. Having recorded just one bogey across his opening six holes, Niemann's recent behind-the-scenes tweaks seem to have caused no harm to his bid for the league's individual title in 2025, keeping him ahead of Jon Rahm. Speaking about his victory in the UK, Niemann said: "Obviously I want to win the season. I think there is a lot of golf to play yet. Jon, we know how good of a player he is, also Bryson [DeChambeau]. "There is not much I can think about other than worry about what I'm doing, how I can improve and get better and play my best golf for the next two weeks. I feel like that's all I'm worrying about right now." Two singles events remain on the LIV Golf calendar this season. The breakaway circuit lands at the Bolingbrook Golf Club for LIV Golf Chicago between August 8 and 10, before LIV Golf Indianapolis plays out at The Club at Chatham Hills a week later. The LIV Golf Team Championship then takes place at The Cardinal at Saint John's, Michigan, between August 22 and 24.