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SUPPORT FOR ARMED SERVICES PARADE

The County Grand Orange Lodge of Belfast welcomes our Armed Services to the homecoming parade in the capital city of Northern Ireland on Sunday 2nd November. 

We salute all members of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force and delight in this opportunity to show our support and solidarity with them.

We encourage all to support the parade, as we show our appreciation for the heroes who have served and are still serving around the world fighting terrorism.  We would ask all attending the parade to ignore those who have disdain for all things British and indeed tried to murder the colleagues of those on parade. 

Please continue to pray for the families bereaved and the service personnel who were injured.

ORANGE ORDER LOBBY IN WESTMINSTER

Senior members of the Orange Order from all over the United Kingdom are in Westminster today, Wednesday, October 29, to lobby against any possible changes to the Act of Union.

The delegation consists of Robert Saulters, Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland; Drew Nelson, Grand Secretary of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland; Ronald Bather, Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of England; Mike Phelan, Past Grand Secretary of the Grand Orange Lodge of England; Ian Wilson, Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland and Robert McLean, Grand Secretary of the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland.

The Orangemen will meet MPs and Peers this afternoon at a series of meeting to outline their concerns about any possible change to the Act of Union.

Grand Secretary Drew Nelson said the Act of Union was one of the foundation stones of the Constitution of the United Kingdom.

"If you tamper with the foundation stone of any structure there is a very real danger that it could come tumbling down," he said.

"We believe that the people in Scotland who are calling for independence are misguided. The Union of the people from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is in the best interests of all the citizens in the United Kingdom.”

29th October 2008

ORANGE ORDER OPPOSED TO EXTENSION OF ABORTION ACT

This Grand Lodge views with deep concern the proposed extension of the 1967 Abortion Act to Northern Ireland.

As an Institution we believe in civil and religious liberty and the entitlement of all to basic human rights. The most basic human right is the right to life itself.  Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights begins with the phrase, "Everyone’s right to life shall be protected by law."  Abortion denies this right to vulnerable infants and so contravenes the European Convention.

The official figures alone show that around 550 babies per day are being aborted which we believe to be totally unacceptable, as the vast majority of these abortions are being carried out for reasons other than medical.

While respecting the rights of mothers the Grand Lodge of Ireland believes that a child is a separate and unique person from the moment of conception and so should have the same rights as other individuals. As a Christian organisation we believe that the Bible teaches that the unborn child is a human being with inalienable rights to full personhood.  We therefore strongly urge all right thinking people to voice their opposition to the extension of this abhorrent Act to Northern Ireland.

We wish to express the support for the Members of Parliament from Northern Ireland for their stand against any change to the status quo, and call on all our members to support such a stand in their prayers.

17th October 2008

DIRECTOR OF SERVICE SPEAKS IN GRANGEMOUNT

Speech by Dr. David Hume MBE, Director of Services of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, at the County Grand Lodge of the East commemoration at Grangemouth, Saturday, June 28, 2008.

I am delighted to be with you today and to bring the fraternal greetings of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, and also the greetings of my own private lodge, Magheramorne LOL 291 in Larne District of County Antrim. I thank you for the invitation to attend this great gathering at Grangemouth today.

The victory at the Boyne resulted in the development of constitutional democracy in the United Kingdom. And beyond. Michael Barone, one of the predominant political historians in the USA says in his book “Our First Revolution”, which has William of Orange crossing the Boyne on the cover;

“The ideals of freedom and individual rights that inspired America’s Founding Fathers did not spring from a vacuum. Along with many other defining principles of our national character, they can be traced directly back to one of the most pivotal events in British history – the late seventeenth-century uprising known as the Glorious Revolution.”

Today we have as good cause to celebrate the foundations of our modern democracy as Americans have to celebrate Independence Day.

So I am delighted to be here with you to celebrate our shared Orange heritage, traditions and culture. I have admired your banners today as they have passed. The banners tell our story. We raise our standards in a changing world. And we know their message has not changed. The story of the Reformers, William and the Boyne, the Covenanters, all of these are part of our shared heritage.

As an Ulster Scot I also am delighted to be here. Ulster and Scotland have a shared heritage which includes the Orange tradition and the Institution. Next year the Homecoming Scotland 2009 project aims to draw back here all those with links to this part of the world. As an Ulster Scot whose roots lie in the Borders I always feel at home in Scotland. I also share the views of your First Minister, expressed in a recent letter to an MLA in East Antrim, that;

“The people of Scotland and Northern Ireland have much in common and our shared heritage is something which we can be justifiably proud of, both at home and abroad. It has been a priority for my Government, during its first year in office, to mark and develop those links.”

Your First Minister will know how ancient those links really are. In the 6th century AD the King of Antrim Dalriada, Fergus, went to Dunadd to be crowned king of Antrim and Scottish Dalriada. He did not invade. He did not need to. His people had settled on both sides of the North Channel. In fact they gave their name – the Scots of Dalriada – to Scotland. Fergus took with him the Lia Fail or Stone of Destiny, on which to be crowned, and legend has it that this is the stone that was returned to Scotland from Westminster Abbey some years ago now. I remember watching on the television its emotive progress back across the Tweed.

But lest Mr. Salmond get too carried away with thoughts of Scottish Independence, he should be aware that the Stone of Destiny really belongs to us in County Antrim and that if he somehow managed to gain Scottish independence, we would want to see the Stone cross another piece of water, wider than the banks of the Tweed. It’s only in Scotland because we’re all part of the Union.

You see, we believe in the Union. We are, after all, the United Kingdom. The Union is something which we cherish. In Ulster the Union has been something that people have died defending, wearing the uniform of Her Majesty’s forces when terrorists threatened to destroy our society. There are gravestones in country cemeteries that pay testament to our loss as a community. The Orange Institution in Ireland lost over 330 members during the conflict in Ulster, the majority serving in the police, army or other services, and the rest civilians. So the Union to us is more than a mere concept.

In Scotland the debate over the Union will be more civilised than the struggle we have witnessed. But people should be aware of the nature of the debate and they should be mobilised to support the Union. The Orange Institution in Scotland is giving a lead in this regard and the considerable resources and talents which you possess will be harnessed to good effect.

But it is not enough to talk of the concept of Union. There must be an honest debate on what “The Union” actually means in the 21st century. The benefits of the Union must be spelt out. The legacy and heritage of the Union must be highlighted. The future of the Union must be addressed.

We are different regions and it is right that our differences are catered for in different ways. But there are essential bonds of union which are unchanged and which make us all stronger. They must be maintained. Scotland belongs in the Union, Northern Ireland belongs alongside her.

In a way the Union is a bit like the Orange Institution. We have people of many different backgrounds and outlooks within our membership. So too the Union is a pluralist Institution which has a place for everyone who wants to subscribe to its values.

What we do need in civic society is more pride in the Union. Our young people need to know more about their history and about the figures who helped weave the fabric of the Union. There is a need for education. We in Belfast will shortly launch a major exhibition on famous Orangemen, as part of a wider educational process. It is called Heroes from History. We need heroes in our lives. We have a new Superhero, Diamond Dan the Orangeman, in the Institution. But there are others with a closer link to reality. Dr. Thomas Barnardo was born in Dublin in 1905 and wanted to be a medical missionary in China. But in London the course of his life was changed when he witnessed the squalor and plight of thousands of homeless children. Children without homes and without hope. You all know about the work of the charity he founded. Dr. Barnardo was a Superhero. Dr. Barnardo was an Orangeman. So too was Sir John A. Macdonald, who was born in George Street in Glasgow in 1815 and went on to lay the foundations for the Dominion of Canada. He was a man who struggled against personal tragedy, yet continued to look after affairs of state and his disabled child.  Heroes from history.

Are you a hero in your community? That is what the Christian Gospel and the Orange Institution is calling you to be. Realise your potential and lay down the foundations for the Orange Order and all that we stand for to be relevant beyond our years. If you’re here today and you’re not a member of the Orange Institution, speak to somebody with a sash and think about joining us. We need you to walk with us in these days.

At certain times in history, we come to a crossroads, to a situation where things could have gone either way. Thomas Barnardo could have walked away from the homeless children, carried through his ambition to go to China. On the day before the Battle of the Boyne King William went to view the enemy positions and was spotted. The Jacobites fired cannon shot at him and grazed him on the shoulder. Had the cannon been a little more accurate the Battle of the Boyne might never have taken place, for the commander might have been dead. Of course some say those events are fate, others believe that the hand of providence was at work.

The Orange Institution is maybe at a crossroads today. We have a clear mission to commemorate our past, to expound the Protestant message, and to carry a torch for the future. Our Junior lodges and the young people who came to watch your parade today at the side of the road, they are our future. What legacy will we hand to them?

If Scotland left the Union, if Ulster were forced into a disunion we do not want, if England said we cannot be bothered with the Celtic fringe any more, then the Union would be at an end. The crossroads provides a number of options for us. But there is one road which the Orange Institution needs to take. We need to step forward to defend the Union. As an organisation we do not shirk from duty. The nation needs us, maybe more than ever. We are the largest organisation which expounds and holds the very British values which are the essence of the Union. We hold the Union dear. Now is the time to defend and uphold what we value most.

It does not mean that you have to drop your Scottish identity, or I have to lose my Ulster identity. But it does mean that governments should do more to promote the Union. In the context of Ulster Scots, for example, it is easier for my community group in Ballycarry to get grants to travel across the border to spend time studying festivals in the Republic of Ireland than it is to develop a programme of community links with Scotland, which is closer to us culturally and historically. We and our friends in the neighbouring community of Cairncastle have been lobbying along with our MP and MLAs to encourage east-west links. We get the distinct impression that the commitment to develop these links is not as high priority as it should be. Developing those links is a means of copper-fastening the cultural union between our areas. Could it be that doing so is not part of the plan of the framers of the Belfast Agreement?

We have seen many occasions where emphasising our sense of British identity causes some people to be embarrassed. The decision by a government department not to have the Red Arrows take part in the 2012 Olympics opening ceremonies is just another example. In my own District of Larne the local council, which erected red white and blue bunting for decades to mark the Somme and Twelfth anniversaries, has been told that it cannot do so. The Local Government Audit Office and the so-called Equality Commission, we believe, have an issue with red white and blue bunting. Yet those colours are the colours of the Nation, of the Union, the very nation that pays the salaries of such people in the first place. We have young soldiers putting their lives on the line in Iraq and Afghanistan wearing the uniform of our nation, and at home we have civil servants telling us it is not politically correct to display our national colours. There is something badly wrong. The Prime Minister can talk about encouraging pride in Britishness, but he needs to address the rot within. He can talk the talk, but time will tell if he walks the walk.

The value of difference is part of the ethos of the Union. I am from the Presbyterian community, which rebelled against the King for good reasons in 1776 in America and 1798 in Ulster. Yet by 1912 we were signing a Covenant against Home Rule and demanding to be part of the Union. That was because of what the Union brought us and meant to us. It can be the same for every distinctive region of the Kingdom. We are a majority Protestant nation and the ethos of the Protestant faith, which is individual thought, has extended out into the nation as individual freedom. Civil and Religious Liberty for all. So you can be Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Hindu or Muslim and you can still belong to and contribute to the Union; and be valued for belonging.

That is our essential message today. We support the Union. We want the Union. We are, and we remain, United by the Kingdom.

We are at the crossroads and we know the road we want to travel into the future. Let us continue the journey together. Let us be United for the Kingdom.

28th June 2008

PORTADOWN – ADAMS TALKS

The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland has issued the following statement to the media, who have followed up today’s story in the News Letter that members of Portadown District L.O.L. have met the Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams.

“We have just become aware through the media that a meeting has taken place between some Portadown District Officers and Gerry Adams.

While we understand the frustration that has built up among the officers and members of Portadown District over the continued refusal of their Drumcree parade, we do not believe that clandestine meetings are in the best interest of the institution.”

26th June 2008

PORTADOWN ORANGEMEN MEET DUP LEADER

Orangemen from Portadown District have met the DUP leader Peter Robinson to discuss the Garvaghy Road parade.

Local MP David Simpson and DUP Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds were also at the meeting. The Orange Order delegation was led by Darryl Hewitt, District Master of Portadown.

A spokesman for the Orangemen said the meeting had been very constructive. It was clear that the DUP leader recognised the significant steps taken by the Orange Order in Portadown and their willingness to meet local residents, even though this had been thwarted.

The spokesman said the meeting looked at a number of ways to progress the matter but it would not be helpful at this stage to go into any further detail.

23rd June 2008

No.9 DISTRICT LODGE

No.9 District Lodge views with grave concern, the Parades Commission’s determination for its traditional Whiterock Parade next week.

The District Lodge will meet on Monday night to discuss the determination in full.

Our initial thoughts are that this determination is manifestly unjust and is a clear reward for the intransigence shown by the Springfield Residents Action Group.

Once again the Parades Commission has demonstrated that it has no useful role in defining a shared future. On the contrary, it damages community relations. 

William Humphrey

Mob: 07765 640434

20th June 2008

ORANGEMEN TO CONSTRUCT A UNITED FRONT ON THE UNION

A convention of over 600 Scottish Orangemen held in Glasgow on Saturday 14th June pledged to face down any threat to the political integrity of the United Kingdom.

Scottish Grand Master, Ian Wilson, told delegates that "the Union of 1707 has been good for Scotland and remains in our best interest."  He went on to say that it was time for the Orange Order "to replace rhetoric with action if we are truly to be worthy of our inheritance and defend the things we believe in."

Wilson admitted to a grudging admiration for First Minister Alex Salmond who he called 'a smart operator'. "To see him perform you'd never guess he is First Minister of Scotland thanks to just 24% of the electorate, or that he heads a minority administration that is outgunned by the collective strength of the unionist parties."

Wendy Alexander received a stinging rebuke from Wilson, who said she would have to be "a whole lot more impressive and convincing than she has been to date if the Scottish Labour Party is ever to regain its pre-eminence in Scottish politics."

The lodge convention was also addressed by the Grand Masters of the Order in England and Ireland. Following the meeting, Orange leaders held further talks on their intentions to mobilise the membership throughout the UK to argue the case for the Union.

Further Information: Ian Wilson 07960 737289

Robert McLean 07984 451079

14th June 2008

ORANGE ORDER WANTS CLARITY ON BUNTING ROW

Speaking at the opening of Ballygargan Hall outside Portadown on Friday June 13, 2008, Drew Nelson, Grand Secretary of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland confirmed that the Orange Order is seeking a meeting with the Northern Ireland Audit Office to clarify their involvement in the decision by Larne Borough Council to cease flying traditional bunting.

"We understand that the Local Government Auditor may have indicated to Larne Borough Council that there were issues surrounding the colour of the traditional bunting which they have purchased over the last number of years.

"I have today written to the Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General of the Northern Ireland Audit Office asking for an urgent meeting to discuss the role of Local Government Auditors in relation to the flying of flags and bunting and the display of emblems on Council property.

This request comes in the wake of a clear pattern during this year when at least four different Councils in Northern Ireland have sought to restrict the display of British emblems".

Ballygargan Orange Hall is being re-opened tonight following damage caused during and arson attack on 15th October 2007.

13th June 2008

HUGE CROWD EXPECTED FOR CARRICKFERGUS PAGEANT

More than 10,000 people are expected in Carrickfergus on Saturday June 14, for the annual pageant – one of the most colourful and eagerly awaited dates on the summer calendar.

The parade will begin at Woodburn Orange Hall at mid-day and then make its way to the harbour, where King William (Robert Flack) will land at about 1pm.

The re-enactment is the highlight of the day and will take place at the same location William landed there, on the same date in 1690.

King William and his colour party will be rowed ashore and will meet local councillors and other dignitaries. He will then make his way to Carrickfergus Castle where he will meet up with his dragoons.

He will get on his horse at this point and lead the parade through the town to Marine Gardens.

There will be a sword and musket display at Marine Gardens and visitors will be able to enjoy many other attractions as well, including a coin minter. Scottish dancers will also put on a display.

The organisers are hoping for a very successful day.

"The Carrickfergus Pageant brings huge crowds into the town for the day," a spokesman said.

"It is a wonderfully colourful event and everyone really gets into the mood. It is a marvellous sight to see the re-enactment of William’s landing at the exact spot where it took place all those years ago."

10th June 2008

LARNE ORANGEMEN CRITICISE COUNCIL

Orangemen in Larne have criticised the local council and accused them of eroding Protestant culture in the town.

A spokesman for Larne District L.O.L. said the council had changed their policy on providing red, white and blue bunting.

"For many years, the council in Larne provided bunting and put it up over the summer months. It was very much appreciated by the people in Larne.

"In a major change of policy the council have decided to no longer provide red, white and blue bunting. This is a very small-minded action by the council and we believe that they have been operating under a misapprehension about the attitude of the local government auditor.

"We would ask the following questions of the council:

1.  Have there been any complaints about the provision or red, white and blue bunting?

2.  Have the Equality Commission been involved in any way in this decision?

3.  Has the Local Government Auditor been involved in any way in this decision?

"The Orange Order has been working with the tourist authorities for a number of years to improve the tourism potential of the Twelfth parades. Part of the advice which we have received is that tourists come to see a genuine cultural event.

"Larne Council’s action undermines the traditional ethos of the Twelfth and is in fact harmful to tourism by seeking to dilute the authenticity of the event.

"The Twelfth demonstration will be held in Larne in 2009 and it will bring a huge influx of people into the town and give a real boost to the local economy.

"Asking us to give up the red, white and blue bunting would be like asking people celebrating St. Patrick’s Day to replace green with another colour.

"This decision by the council is shocking and outrageous to the Protestant community and to their culture and the Orangemen of Larne District demand the council reverse this decision immediately."

GRAND MASTER SLAMS CLOSURE OF POLICE STATIONS

Speaking at an Orange Order event in Castlederg, Co. Tyrone, on Friday, June 6, the Grand Master Robert Saulters said:

"I am delighted to be here in County Tyrone where I know that Orangeism is strong and flourishing. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about our police who are anything but strong and flourishing in this county and in neighbouring Fermanagh.

"The police are reducing the number of stations in border areas and it is the people who live in those areas, who will pay the price. Not far from here, stations in Newtownstewart, Sion Mills and Donemana, have either been closed or will be closed in the near future.

"There is the prospect that the whole of Fermanagh will soon be policed from three stations.

"It is a ridiculous situation and I know many police officers who are very unhappy. They have built up local knowledge over many years but now that pool of intelligence will be wiped out at the stroke of a pen.

"We live in a world where the budget is more important that the bobby on the beat.

"It is an insult to our intelligence when the police try to say that security will be improved by retreating into major stations. That is simply not the case and the honest thing would be to admit that they are trying to save money.

"We in the Orange Order know only too well that reduced security in rural areas has made it easier for evil people to attack our halls. There have also been cowardly attacks on police officers and it has been a miracle that none of the officers has been murdered.

"Closing police stations is a premature move when there is still a significant and viable threat from dissident republicans, as the Chief Constable himself confirmed recently.

"Many members of the Orange Order live in rural areas. They feel abandoned by the PSNI hierarchy and their policy of closing stations.

"The Orange Institution is totally committed to supporting police officers as they go about their job. The difficulty at the moment is actually finding a police officer.”

6th June 2008

LAUNCH OF WILLIAMITE TRAIL

Tourism Minister Nigel Dodds, and Environment Minister Arlene Foster, have welcomed the development of the new Williamite Trail map and are pictured at Parliament Buildings with the Grand Master of the Orange Order, Robert Saulters

27th May 2008

BORDER HALL ATTACKED

The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland has condemned a weekend attack on a hall in Newry.

Altnaveigh Orange Hall was broken into on Saturday afternoon. Windows and other items in the hall were smashed and a memorial tablet to murdered Orangemen was badly damaged.

The hall was temporarily secured following the attack but it was broken into again on Saturday night and further damage was caused.

The hall is situated close to Newry by-pass and has been attacked on numerous occasions in the past.

A spokesman for Grand Lodge described it as a sectarian attack.

"The Orangemen at Altnaveigh are well known in the area for their community relations work but clearly there are people who have no respect for their work or traditions. One of the most hurtful aspects of the attack was that a memorial tablet to Orangemen murdered in the troubles was damaged. That really is a despicable action and we would call on all community representatives in the area to condemn the attack without equivocation."

25th May 2008

FUTURE FOR THE ORANGE ORDER

Speech by Dr. David Hume MBE, Director of Services of the Grand Orange Lodge, at the unveiling of a new banner for Ballycraigy Temperance True Blues LOL 537, 23rd May 2008 at Ballycraigy, County Antrim.

The Orange Order is facing the future with confidence, Orangemen at Ballycraigy in County Antrim have been told.

The Order's Director of Services, Dr. David Hume, told members of Ballycraigy Temperance True Blues LOL 537 and supporters that the Orange Order was playing a constructive role within communities across Northern Ireland.

He was speaking at the unfurling of a new banner for the lodge, which was formed in 1887.

"Today there are 1176 lodges like this one in Ireland. There are tens of thousands of Orangemen. The Twelfth in 2007 saw an estimated 400,000 people participate in or watch our celebrations. Despite all this some have tried to say that we are on the decline," he said.

"This is to ignore the reality of the situation. The Orange Order is at the heart of lobbying at all levels over issues affecting us and our constituency, and we will continue to do so. We are working with the tourism authorities to progress the Twelfth and our cultural heritage as strong marketable elements for visitors,”

"Our lodges are very involved in their communities and we are encouraging civic leadership among our members. The Orange Order, part of the community since 1795, remains very much a part of it today," the Director of Services said.

"We are, in short, not a force which is spent and on the decline, but an organisation and a positive force which is at the heart of the Protestant community, and which will continue to be so," Dr. Hume said.

He said that the Orange Order would go forward to the future with its traditional values, rooted in the Protestant Reformation and the Glorious Revolution. "There are still many people who believe in the values of men like Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox and others," he said, "There are still many people who believe in the need for a sense of identity in a changing world. And there are still people who are proud of who and what they are."

"There will be challenges in the future in terms of membership, because there are many other distractions for people in society today. We are witnessing urbanisation in our society, which is resulting in normal linkages being broken down, and we are challenged by secularism. But the future will be what we make it, and I believe that the future is assured," Dr. Hume told those gathered at the ceremony.

"Within this Institution there is evidence everywhere of the commitment of ordinary men who help sustain and develop an extraordinary organisation."

"Our Institution comprises men of honour. We raise our standards in a changing world. And we know their message has not changed. We are proud of our past, dedicated to the present and looking forward to the future," he concluded.

23rd May 2008

ORANGE ORDER AT BALMORAL SHOW

The Orange Order is stepping out at the Royal Ulster Agricultural Show at Balmoral, next week.

It will be the first time in the history of the show that Orangemen will be there to display the history and culture of the Institution.

The Grand Lodge of Ireland stand will include a display of banner painting from William Magowan, of Garvagh, who was one of the major successes when the Order attended last year’s Smithsonian Festival in Washington. His display attracted thousands of visitors during the festival.

There will also be Orange Order merchandise on sale, including items involving Diamond Dan, the new Orange hero for young people. Copies of the Williamite Trail, a tourist map unveiled by the Order last week, will also be available. A special edition of the Orange Standard – with an agricultural flavour – has been printed for the show.

The Orange presence at Balmoral is the brainchild of Education Officer David Scott.

"I think this is an excellent chance to meet the public and explain about the Orange tradition and culture," he said.

"I am greatly encouraged by visits to schools and community groups across Northern Ireland that there is a thirst for knowledge about the Institution. We hope that our presence at Balmoral will give thousands of people the chance to meet us and chat with our representatives about the Order and its traditions."

Display panels at the stand will include one on the Williamite Trail and another on the Institution past and present.

5th May 2008

RESPONSE TO ASHDOWN REPORT

The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland has welcomed the Ashdown Report.

"For the past number of years we have been making the case that the legislative framework governing parades is deeply flawed and has created more problems than it has resolved.

"We participated fully in the review, in partnership with the Royal Black Institution and the Independent Loyal Orange Institution.

"We welcome the fact that the recommendations include the establishment of a new legislative framework to govern not just parades but all public assemblies.

"We particularly welcome the fact that the recommendations signal the end of the discredited Parades Commission.

"This is an essential first step towards a better resolution of the issues which surround parades and other public events.

"The Orange Institution – along with the Royal Black Institution and the Independent Loyal Orange Institution – will study the document carefully and respond accordingly.

"We remain committed to playing a full part in creating a Northern Ireland which is a peaceful, prosperous, stable and fair society, founded on mutual respect and trust."

29th April 2008

FOUR FLAGSHIP TWELFTHS SELECTED

Four Twelfth demonstrations have been selected as flagships for the biggest festival in Northern Ireland.

The flagships will be the standard bearers for the 18 demonstrations being organised by the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland on July 12.

The four locations are Belfast, Dromara, Tandragee and Coleraine. The events in those areas will receive special promotional support from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Tourism Ireland. Grand Lodge will also work closely with the organisers of the flagships to promote the Twelfth.

Official estimates last year calculated that between 400,000 and 500,000 people either took part in the parades or enjoyed them as spectators.

The Orange Order Director of Services, Dr. David Hume explained:

"Two years ago we chose Bangor as a flagship Twelfth and more than 80,000 people attended the demonstration. Last year Enniskillen was chosen and the tourist authorities were involved in very successful 'host training' for our stewards.

"We know that nearly half a million people enjoy the Twelfth and there is hard evidence that more and more tourists are planning trips to Northern Ireland at that time, to co-incide with the parades.

"All of our parades are very important and we will be working with all the organisers to maximise the positive impact of the Twelfth parades. But Grand Lodge decided that we should put an extra special effort into four demonstrations this year. After an internal competition we selected the four locations and we have no doubt that they will be a huge success."

The Orange Order has been working closely with the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Tourism Ireland to attract more visitors to the province in July.

"We cannot thank the tourist authorities enough," said David Hume.

"They have shown us their research and made very many useful suggestions which we have taken on board.

"The Twelfth is a unique attraction in Northern Ireland and it brings with it immense benefits to the economy and to everyone in the community. We will be doing everything we can to make the Twelfth attractive for all the family and for anyone – local or visiting – who wants to see it. .

"The new battlefield site at the Boyne will also be a major attraction this year and we believe that cultural tourism can play a significant part in the future of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

"The Orange Order is certainly ready to play its part."

The Rossnowlagh parade in Co. Donegal will be held on Saturday, July 5 this year and the July 12 demonstrations will be in Belfast, Dromara, Coleraine, Tandragee, Maghera, Kesh, Ballyclare, Omagh, Benburb, Aughnacloy, Derriaghy, Ballymena, Broughshane, Portavogie, Cullybackey, Kilkeel ,Newcastle and Rasharkin.

Many of the Twelfth demonstrations will form part of festivals running for two or three weeks in their area.

The Orange Order is also set to unveil a major tourist initiative in the next few weeks, with the publication of the Williamite Trail. It is a map which follows the route taken by the Williamite Army on the way to victories at the Boyne and Aughrim.

22nd April 2008