orange order – Page 3 – Slugger O'Toole

No #Twaddell from Parades Commission

John Ó Néill on October 2, 2013, 12:54 pm | Readers 81

The Parades Commission has given its response to the ‘Twaddell Initiative‘ put forward by Unionists and the Orders. Not only does it say No, but it publicly deconstructs how it was first made aware of proposal by the media and dismissed the grounds for a late application, the failure to abide by its ruling for the 12th July parade and continued breaches of its determinations. It was abundantly plain that that would be the case (although there is still Nigel …

More #Twaddell: DUP, dupes and duplicity.

John Ó Néill on September 30, 2013, 12:56 pm | Readers 132

The onus is now upon nationalism to show leadership and to respond positively to this genuine attempt to reach accommodation. They must face down the elements in their community who wish to drag Northern Ireland back. So says DUP ‘leader’ Peter Robinson, but presumably not in reference to his party members who were advocating burning tricolours, defacing religious statues, indulging in murder fantasies, okay with assaults on the mayor or happy to be seen at UVF parades. Robinson was actually …

Alex Kane on how Unionism can learn from Sinn Féin

John Ó Néill on July 22, 2013, 4:22 pm | Readers 222

Are we seeing more signposts to the future of unionism today? The Newsletter’s Alex Kane has a piece out on “Unionism can learn from Sinn Féin” while it appears to suggest that, in reality, it is currently trying to learn from Fianna Fáil. Kane trots out the same line about ‘cultural war’ that was raised at the field on the Twelfth by the Orange Order. Somewhat diminishing the point, the BBC usefully led this story with Edwin Stevenson’s comments at the …

Belfast No 3 District signals #Ardoyne as new Drumcree

John Ó Néill on July 19, 2013, 3:35 pm | Readers 82

There was a strong hint today that unionism is heading towards a Drumcree-style approach at Ardoyne. After the announcement from the Parades Commission that Belfast No 2 District will also be restricted from parading the section of the Crumlin Road from Woodvale to Hesketh Road this Saturday, Belfast No 3 District have applied to march the same route on 3rd August. If you want a quick view of the Drumcree approach, see Ryan’s take on it here: Is this the …

Belfast No 2 District wants to try again: #Ardoyne

John Ó Néill on July 17, 2013, 4:15 pm | Readers 60

Belfast No. 2 District have now applied to parade along the same section that they walked last Friday morning, but were restricted from in the evening. Presumably, they now feel suitably fortified with the Assembly’s motion on the Parade’s Commission’s ‘illogical determination’ in their hip pocket, despite the fact that, due to AK47 NI21 not supporting the motion, it didn’t even win the support of all unionists. Since it was Belfast No.2 District that were involved last Friday, I am sure the Parades Commission …

Time for the Orange and the DUP to take a one way bet on the future?

Mick Fealty on July 15, 2013, 6:50 pm | Readers 104

I’m not sure I agree that Chris’s account of this Twelfth is quite as comprehensive as John implies, but it does highlight why defending the loyal orders right to march on the public highway might be such a hard sell. It’s nine years since Gerry Kelly had his arm broken defending a British soldier from a republican mob in Ardoyne. The tensions in north Belfast each summer are palpable. And it is hardly surprising. The area suffers a heady mix …

If we are going to put an end to this mindless cycle of violence every summer…

Mick Fealty on July 14, 2013, 2:06 pm | Readers 57

Regular Journal.ie columnist David McCann has written this piece for Slugger: Well here we go again; another 12th July is marred by scenes of sectarian violence as PSNI officers are wheeled off to A&E injured. What were the police officers doing to provoke such an angry response I hear you ask? Well, quite simply they were enforcing a ruling by the Parades Commission that banned marchers from passing a controversial flash point in North Belfast. For many Loyalists the decision …

2013 contingency plan: let’s get all Belfast lodges to go to #Ardoyne

John Ó Néill on July 11, 2013, 10:23 am | Readers 106

The Irish News is reporting that the Orange Order may put a contingency plan in place that would see all lodges in Belfast take a return route that takes them to the restricted section at Ardoyne (via paywall). According to the Irish News: It is believed they [the Orange Order] are considering asking Orangemen to march home from the field along with the three north Belfast lodges banned from walking the Crumlin Road. With perhaps little sense of irony the Grand Lodge …

Sinn Féin Minister hit by PSNI jeep following Tour of the North

John Ó Néill on June 22, 2013, 12:00 am | Readers 95

According to reports on twitter, Sinn Féin Minister Carál Ní Chuilín was taken to hospital after being hit by a jeep at Carrickhill following the Tour of the North parade on Friday night. Gerry Kelly was also carried on the bonnet of a PSNI jeep. Gerry Adams has given some details: Caral released from hospital.Torn ligaments.Spoke 2 her.She was hit by PSNI jeep.Gerry K carried 50 yds on bonnet of jeep.Area now quiet. — Gerry Adams (@GerryAdamsSF) June 21, 2013 …

Scotland – will the Orange Order save the Union?

Dewi on April 23, 2013, 8:29 pm | Readers 693

From the Herald comes the news that the Orange Order are mobilising for a “No” vote in the September 2014 referendum on Scottish Independence: THE Orange Order has begun the mobilisation of its members across Scotland as part of its campaign against independence. It has applied to join community councils and is involved in a series of roadshows across greater Glasgow, where it plans to lobby councillors on how it can get involved in the No bid. Similar events have …

Respect?

John Ó Néill on October 1, 2012, 10:05 am | Readers 121

[click here if image doesn’t show] From today’s Irish News (h/t to @Short_Strand). Doesn’t really need much more comment. Sorry to rain on anyone’s parade, but you know what us Fenian bastards are like. At least in the case of the bandsman urinating on the church gates, the Grand Secretary of the Orange Order was quick out of the blocks this morning to the BBC: Mr Nelson said the incident was “outrageous and unacceptable”. He apologised unreservedly to the priest and parishioners of …

Franchising Ulster Scots in Scotland?

Mick Fealty on September 26, 2012, 10:04 am | Readers 68

There’s a remarkable likeness between David Hume’s call for Ulster Scots to have a vote in the upcoming Scottish referendum and Sinn Fein’s standing call to extend the southern franchise to Northern Ireland’s elective Irish citizens. And they have even less chance of succeeding for more or less the same reasons. It would be seen as a rather disingenuous means of ‘packing’ the electorate in both place. Having said which, the question of who might constitute this electorate is fuzzy. …

Orange Order: No one will have veto over our Ulster Covenant parade

John Ó Néill on September 21, 2012, 11:30 am | Readers 77

“No one will have a veto over our Ulster Covenant parade”, says Mervyn Gibson, county grand chaplain of the Orange Order in Belfast (as reported in the Tele): Mr Gibson said that the organisation had consulted with clergy and parishioners from St Patrick’s but that it did not feel compelled to consult with residents regarding the parade. “The reason we are not speaking to residents at this stage is that the issue was respect for St Patrick’s Church,” he added. “That was …

Viewing platform, Orange Hall, Clifton St

John Ó Néill on September 3, 2012, 4:34 pm | Readers 157

The above photo is taken from the New Lodge Facebook page galleries which includes a photo gallery of the build-up to yesterdays Republican Network for Unity’s Henry Joy McCracken commemoration at the cemetery in Henry Place. Whilst the RNU event had been processed via an application to the Parades Commission (and not classified as sensitive), the loyalist protest that developed outside the Orange Orders Clifton Street building was not. The gallery includes some shots of the crowd beginning to gather outside …

DUP proposal to grant freedom of Lisburn to the Orange Order

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on August 28, 2012, 9:32 pm | Readers 279

At tonight’s monthly meeting of Lisburn City Council, Alderman Givan (DUP) proposed that the contribution of the Orange Order throughout Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland be recognised by conveying the Freedom of Lisburn on the organisation. [I recorded a quick interview with Paul Givan after the council meeting ended.] The freedom of the city is usually only given once per council term. Blind water skier Janet Gray, cardiologist Frank Pantridge (who pioneered the portable defibrillator), Olympic gold medallist …

What’s eating Ardoyne: Slugger’s first public Google+ discussion

Mick Fealty on July 18, 2012, 10:22 am | Readers 165

As luck would have it, Slugger was down for a few hours yesterday, just as we were recording our first Google Plus Hangout on Air over lunch time… A second blow was not getting Chris Donnelly in to the discussion (tech hitches meant he couldn’t get in on time), so as a result there’s an important Republican perspective missing from this discussion… One of the technical hitches that occurred during the recording is that because one of the silent participants …

Slugger online debate: What’s eating Ardoyne (take two)…

Mick Fealty on July 16, 2012, 4:51 pm | Readers 77

This is partly a reminder of tomorrow’s lunch time discussion, and partly an attempt to reset the thread that from the first comment actually went on to discuss a video taken outside St Patrick’s church in Donegall Street where (depending on who’s version of the truth you choose) a marching band chose play an old American classic, or The Famine Song. Either way, the video demonstrates just how intense the feelings are around this time of year (the ‘who’ of …

Orders find solution to #Twelfth restrictions at #Ardoyne

John Ó Néill on July 12, 2012, 2:11 pm | Readers 52

The optics of this are pretty ridiculous. The BBC are reporting the solution to the restriction on passing Ardoyne by 4 pm as: Members of three Orange lodges will be ferried across Belfast by bus to meet a 16:00 BST deadline for passing the flashpoint Catholic area of Ardoyne. Orangemen say it’s a peaceful solution to allow them to complete their return parade from the main celebrations to their Orange halls in north Belfast. Details have not yet been announced …

Platform proceedings: the Orders in their own words

John Ó Néill on July 11, 2012, 11:57 am | Readers 60

With the County Grand Lodge considering a judicial review of the Parades Commission ruling, a spokesman for the County Grand Lodge of Belfast has said: In addition to the normal denials of rights and freedoms that the Parades Commission regularly impose, this impossible demand would deny these brethren the opportunity to attend the platform proceedings, including the religious service at Barnett Demesne… A recurring contradiction in the Orders’ position is in selectively citing examples of quiet country parades while demanding …

Head of the Orange Order addresses the upper house in Dublin…

Mick Fealty on July 3, 2012, 12:02 pm | Readers 109

So two paint attacks on Orange Halls, and a bit of post parade clashing down near the Short Strand might be considered fairly mild compared to how the Orange marching season has been ‘celebrated’ in past years. But today the head of the Orange Drew Nelson is in Dublin to address that most gentile of parliamentary houses Seanad Eireann. His address will consist of responses by the main party groups, including Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Labour and a two …