Northern Ireland's Secretary of State Hilary Benn has attended a Twelfth of July parade for the first time as part of efforts to build relations "with all communities".
A day after meeting Tánaiste Micheal Martin in Co Down, he travelled to Co Fermanagh to watch one of 18 parades being held across Northern Ireland, with tens of thousands of members of the Orange Order on the march and thousands more lining the routes.
The parades are held to commemorate the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 when the Protestant King William of Orange defeated the Catholic King James.
Speaking before watching the parade in Irvinestown, Mr Benn said he wants to be an honest broker who is "a friend to all" but "beholden to none".
He described his visit as part of a family pilgrimage as he was visiting the grave of his great great grandfather after the parade.
The Northern Secretary was asked if his attendance was part of the new British government's stated policy to reset relations with political parties and all communities in Northern Ireland, as well as between London and Dublin.
"I see my job as being a friend to all, beholden to none, but an honest broker in Northern Ireland," he replied.
"I want to engage with all communities, all traditions, because in the end we've got to work together to make Northern Ireland work."
Mr Benn said his number one priority is to ensure that the devolved government at Stormont endures.
"Devolved government works in other parts of the United Kingdom and it needs to work on a consistent and constant basis here in Northern Ireland because there are so many issues that need to be addressed and I'm looking forward to meeting as many people as possible and that's why I'm here today," he added.
The parade in Irvinestown consisted of more than 90 Orange Order lodges and over 70 bands.
There was a strong contingent from across the border with lodges and bands from counties Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan and Cavan taking part.
The PSNI has deployed around 4,000 police officers and staff at parades across Northern Ireland, approximately two thirds of the entire force.
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