February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Stephen McKinley
The United States Department of State has issued a travel warning for American citizens traveling to Northern Ireland this summer.
Citing the marching season as a time of civil unrest, the State Department urged all citizens visiting Northern Ireland for business or pleasure to exercise caution throughout July and August when moving throughout the region.
Three parades are mentioned as especially contentious — the Ormeau Road parade that passed off peacefully on June 30, last Sunday’s infamous Drumcree march, which also passed off with only minor incidents, and the Derry parade on July 12.
The State Department acknowledged that 1999 and 2000 had been calmer years than previous marching seasons, and also said that American citizens in Northern Ireland were "not normally targeted during these protests." But it added that that some U.S. visitors have had to seek alternate routes to their destinations because of roadblocks, and that contentious areas should be avoided if possible.
The travel warning also says that citizens should avoid any contentious parades and the loyalist community bonfirees on July 11 evening.
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In May, three Australian tourists were attacked and beaten up by a gang wielding metal bars in East Belfast, leaving one of them with a serious ear injury that required reconstructive surgery.