1.   THOUSANDS of Blackmen paraded to six demonstrations in Ulster yesterday to herald the end of the Ulster marching season.

2.   And, as if that were not enough, the marching season, and its inevitable confrontation, looms.

3.   And, as if that were not enough, the marching season, and its inevitable confrontation, L looms.

4.   Another milestone comes with the marching season that begins in early July.

5.   Apart from some flashpoints around marching season, trouble has been relatively low.

6.   At the start of each marching season, bewildered ninth graders tailed the experienced upperclassmen with bulldog determination.

7.   First, the marching season has to pass without serious incident.

8.   In addition, annual clashes between Catholic nationalist protesters and police during the summer marching season create considerable tension.

9.   In recent years, as paramilitary violence in Northern Ireland has waned, the biggest threat to civil order has been the tension created over the annual marching season.

10.   In the volatile atmosphere of the summer marching season, both sides are easily provoked, and almost reflexively cling to old, intransigent positions.