Local TV | Return of the Bonfire - communities from the Greater Shankill area prepare for 11th night
- Love Ballymena
- Sep 6, 2021
- 1 min read

Return To The Bonfire | Monday 6 September
BBC One NI | 10.35pm Also on BBC iPlayer
Return To The Bonfire tells the story of the communities in the Greater Shankill area as they prepare for the 11th night.
Exploring the vibrant culture and the impassioned politics of the Greater Shankill from Highfield at the foot of the Black Mountain to the densely packed streets of the Lower Shankill we meet a variety of very different people of different ages, who all call this place their home.
In 2004 BBC NI filmed The Bonfire, a documentary following the building of a traditional 11th Night bonfire in the Springmartin/ Highfield area of the Greater Shankill. It featured young and old as they prepared for the big night.
Return To The Bonfire revisits the area to find out what changes have taken place in the 15 years since The Bonfire was filmed. It follows the building of a number of bonfires across the West and the North of Belfast culminating in them being lit in the darkness of the 11th night. This is a film which takes us inside the world of the Greater Shankill and into the thoughts and the feelings of those who live there.
The 11th night still brings the community on the Greater Shankill together in celebration - but this is a pivotal year for Loyalism and Unionism with the NI Protocol causing concern for many.
The film reveals, however, that there are many different shades of opinion here and not everyone thinks in the same way.