For every Eleventh Night celebration where election posters, flags and effigies are set on fire, dozens more are held where communities come together for a night of fun, free from controversy and antagonism.
every year the many are drowned out by the few who light the touch paper of controversy.
Still, there are fine examples showing how a culture can be celebrated without rubbing the noses of those who have a different point of view in the dirt.
Those who rightly condemn effigies of political representatives symbolically burned at the stake should do so again when the tables are turned.
It is an issue that drives many people mad with frustration, and that frustration is felt in the communities that continue to hold celebrations free of the hatred shown elsewhere and quickly gripping others.
Every year in Clandeboye, the village community takes center stage during the Eleventh Night Celebrations.
There is no bonfire reaching to the sky, no flags are burned, and no images of politicians are thrown into the flames.
It was created by a community that works together to embrace culture in a respectful and collective way.
Instead of piling the pallets high, the organizers give the people of the community what they want: an eco-friendly beacon.
The culture has not diminished and no one is provoked to condemnation, but it is rarely mentioned.
The focus is instead on those few bonfires where the sectarian attitude burns brightest.
In Clandeboye, a concerted effort has been made to help people fall in love with the culture.
If love is too big a step, understanding and acceptance are on the same path.
Alliance MLA Connie Egan, who grew up in the area, was one of hundreds of people who showed up for the Eleventh Night celebrations.
“There is a tone of leadership. Every year they organize an event that no one can have a problem with,” she said.
“It’s fun, the whole family is involved and it’s about consulting with the community beforehand, figuring out how they want to celebrate and giving the community what they want.
“There are no expressions of hatred and no trace of the intimidating atmosphere picked up elsewhere.
“They have set a great example of how a culture should and can be celebrated.”
The foundation for that solidarity was laid a few years ago. But Louise Little, who is a member of the North Down Community Network and volunteered at the bonfire, said the success of the pyre extended beyond just one event.
“We all want to live in an area where balance and respect are shown, and to do that you have to have that level of community involvement,” Ms. Little explained.
“We don’t want to compete with anyone. We don’t want to brag about the best event. We want an event that suits the people who live here and that everyone can enjoy. Several years ago, we dropped flyers at every house in the neighborhood. We asked them what they would like, what would suit them.
“People responded and through various events, including the Eleventh Bonfire, we try to give them what they want. That’s why they enjoy it so much.
“I’m not saying the way we do things is good for every community, but we’ve shown it can work.
“One of the options we offered was a willow burner instead of the traditional bonfire.
“We know there is a history where children and young people like to walk around collecting bits of wood for their bonfires.
“In the past they protected them [the bonfires]but as a community we wanted to move forward together.
“There’s still a bonfire, but it’s a bonfire that everyone wants. It lends itself to the kind of day that everyone here wants to enjoy.
“The ethos of the evening is that everyone should be able to enjoy themselves.
“If they’re not from an Eleventh Night culture, they should still be able to go along, feel safe, and find out what it’s about.”
It’s hard to build a community without involving everyone.
In the end, over 80 percent of the Clandeboye community chose the willow burner, and on the night the names were taken and a draw was held to select two young people to set it on fire.
There were 158 names in the draw, and among them were young people from Poland, Lithuania, Romania, China, India, Pakistan and the US.
Mrs. Little said: “We want to cheer people up. That’s consistent all year round, not just on the Eleventh Night.
“The emphasis is always on the community that determines what happens.”
In Kilkeel, it’s a similar story of a fun-filled day, but you won’t see it come to much.
Gareth Crozier is president of the Schomberg Association, which organizes the local bonfire.
The celebrations have grown in size over the past 20 years to what they are today, but one thing that hasn’t grown is the size of the bonfire, with organizers refusing to build above 20 feet.
“Festival, family and kindness are the three words we work with,” said Mr. Crozier.
“This is not a competition to see who has the biggest or the best. The event is much more than just a bonfire.”
The bonfire is built in just one day in a fire pit in the city’s Queen Elizabeth Park.
On the Eleventh Night there is no excessive drinking and no flags or posters are burned.
“We want people to feel welcome, and we have visitors from all over the world – including the Republic of Ireland,” said Mr Crozier.
“We have to think about how they would feel if they saw their country’s flag on a bonfire.
“We do a lot of work throughout the year to ensure that young people get to know the culture and history, and why the event takes place.
“We have collaborated with other civil society organizations that want to do something similar.
“It has to be all about family. That way we can get to know the culture of the past and build a better future.”