Four people were arrested after trouble broke out at an Apprentice Boys parade in Derry at the weekend. The disturbances happened in Shipquay Street after taunts were exchanged between marchers and local nationalists.
Most of the main parade passed off without major problems although the Police Service of Northern Ireland expressed some concerns. The area's district commander, Supt Peter Sheridan, criticised the behaviour of bandsmen and said he would be raising it with Apprentice Boys leaders.
However, he added that there was blame on both sides. Thousands of people took part in the demonstration on Saturday afternoon to commemorate the Relief of Derry. Earlier, a controversial Apprentice Boys march passed the nationalist Ardoyne area in north Belfast.
There were reports of gunfire following the parade. Nationalists living along the Alliance Avenue peaceline said loyalist gunmen from neighbouring Glenbryn had opened fire on them.
A Sinn Féin councillor, Ms Margaret McClenaghan, said: "There have been petrol-bombs, bursts of gunfire, a blast-bomb and another burst of gunfire."
A massive security force presence kept the loyalist marchers and nationalist residents apart. A group of 20 nationalists attacked police Land-Rovers. Three men and a 16-year-old youth have appeared in court in connection with the disturbances.
During the demonstration, residents shouted at the marchers and threw a bottle at them. The Apprentice Boys were accompanied by a band bearing UVF insignia on its bass drum. They were not allowed to play music as they passed Ardoyne shops.
Local residents had strongly opposed the march. Dozens of British army and PSNI Land-Rovers lined the route. However, there was no major confrontation.
The Ligoniel Branch of the Apprentice Boys were taking part in a feeder parade before boarding a bus to join the main demonstration in Derry.
A local DUP councillor, Mr Nelson McCausland, said nationalist residents in Ardoyne had no cause for offence. He praised the security forces and the marchers for ensuring there was no trouble.
Ms McClenaghan praised residents and said the marchers should never have been allowed to pass Ardoyne.
"We are satisfied from the nationalist side that the protest was dignified and well stewarded. However, it was the wrong decision by the Parades Commission to force a march through such a volatile flashpoint. It is absolute madness," she said.
In Derry, around 10,000 Apprentice Boys and 140 bands marched through the city. In recent years there has been little trouble at the event following an accommodation between the organisation and the Bogside Residents' Group.
Several hundred local Apprentice Boys and bands completed a circuit of the city's walls to mark the beginning of the commemoration.
Loyal order members paraded to the Diamond and laid wreaths at the cenotaph in memory of the dead of two World Wars.