Marchers heed hush warning

Hundreds of people took part in the march

Marchers taking part in an Irish Republican rally through Edinburgh heeded a demand to reduce the noise as they passed a church wedding.

The city council had told organisers that proceeding quietly past the wedding in Greyfriars Kirk was a condition of allowing the march to go ahead.

It was estimated that between 600 and 700 people took part in the annual James Connolly march, including drum and pipe bands.

The council placed conditions on the rally

But Edinburgh City Council had insisted that they remained quiet as they passed near the historic church.

Dozens of police, including mounted officers, were on guard after violence between marchers and Loyalist sympathisers erupted in previous years.

The march through Edinburgh's Old Town was peaceful with one arrest. Police described marchers as "well behaved"

Friends and family of Christina Bain and Andrew MacLellan said the wedding had been arranged before they knew that the march would be on the same day.

Usher, Allan Snedden, said: "The police had warned us this was taking place. But Andrew and Christina didn't mind too much.

"It wasn't too intrusive although you could hear the drum beat and shouting in the distance.

'Lovely service'

"I was a little bit edgy because I can remember being in Edinburgh when violence kicked off at one of the marches and we didn't want that happening during the service.

"But in the end it was a lovely service."

Tourists in the city's Old Town watched from behind barriers as marchers waved flags and chanted pro-IRA slogans during the march, which lasted for over an hour.

They were led by shaven-headed men in black military style clothing, some beating drums with pictures of masked gunmen on them.

Potential flashpoint in previous years

Many others carried placards proclaiming "Disband the RUC".

The march was led by a fleet of police vans and police lined the route through the Old Town.

The marchers also included protesters against the UK Government's immigration policies.

Afterwards they assembled for a rally to listen to a speaker from Sinn Fein.

James Connolly was a socialist and Irish Republican from Edinburgh, remembered each year in the march.

Afterwards, Chief Superintendent Malcolm Dickson said: "Although there have been people with opposing views in the area there haven't been any incidents that has caused us concern.

"The crowd has numbered about 600 to 700 and they have been pretty well behaved."

He said most of the marchers had complied with the noise ban near Greyfriars Kirk, although one band had continued beating their drums because of a breakdown in communication.

Organisers said as many as 1,200 people had taken part in the march.