Flag of the Orange Order

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Orange Order
Flag of the Orange Order.svg
Boyne Standard, Orange Standard
Proportion2:3
DesignOrange flag with a cross of St George in canton defaced with a purple star

The flag of the Orange Order, also known as the Boyne Standard, [1] or the Orange Standard, [2] is the flag used by a Northern Irish Protestant fraternal organisation, the Orange Order. The flag consists of an orange background with a purple star and a Saint George's Cross in canton. [3]

Contents

History

The Orange Order was founded in 1795 to commemorate the Protestant King William III's victory in the Glorious Revolution against the Catholic King James II. The flag was adopted shortly afterwards on the grounds that it was purportedly the flag that King William had used as his personal standard at the Battle of the Boyne. [4] In 1912, the Irish Unionist Party's Sir Edward Carson marched behind the flag of the Orange Order from Ulster Hall in leading people to publicly sign the Ulster Covenant at Belfast City Hall against the Irish Home Rule Bill. [5] The events were reenacted 100 years later in 2012 including a number of Northern Ireland's unionist political leaders. [6]

The flag is used officially by the Orange Order and is also carried predominantly on Orange walks on The Twelfth of July. [7] It has also been used by Loyalist flute bands independent of the Orange Order when they are participating in Orange walks or other Loyalist order parades. [1] Usually, the flying of the flag of the Orange Order is not prohibited during marches by the Parades Commission. [8] In past times, the flag was also waved by fans of the Scottish association football team Rangers at their club matches, as the club has historical links with the Orange Order. [9] In 2007, the Orange Order adopted a new logo based upon the flag of the Orange Order. The new logo comprises an orange Luther rose with a purple star in the centre. [10] When referred to as the 'Orange Standard', the name of the flag is also shared with that of the official newspaper of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland. [11]

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The Independent Loyal Orange Institution is an offshoot of the Orange Institution, a Protestant fraternal organisation based in Northern Ireland. Initially pro-labour and supportive of tenant rights and land reform, over time it moved to a more conservative, unionist position.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange Order</span> Protestant fraternal order originating in Northern Ireland

The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants. It also has lodges in England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland, as well as in parts of the Commonwealth of Nations and the United States.

The Northern Ireland flags issue is one that divides the population along sectarian lines. Depending on political allegiance, people identify with differing flags and symbols, some of which have, or have had, official status in Northern Ireland.

Banners are a significant part of the Culture of Northern Ireland, particularly for the Protestant/unionist community, and one of the region's most prominent types of folk art. They are typically carried in parades such as those held on the Twelfth of July, Saint Patrick's Day and other times throughout the year. Generally these are organised by societies such as the Orange Order, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Royal Black Institution and the Apprentice Boys of Derry, and the banners are typically commissioned by, and represent, a lodge within one of these societies. Banners are also carried by trade unions and church groups, and by marching bands. Most banners are painted by professionals and executed on silk, although canvas was a more popular material in the past. Most have a painting on each side, usually depicting different subjects, and the name and number of the lodge. Most banners have one subject per side, surrounded by flourishes, scrolls, and other decoration. Despite being in many ways a sectarian art form, Catholic and Protestant banners are usually very similar in terms of style and composition. Apart from subject matter, the main difference is colour: Orange Order banners make heavy use of the colour orange and to a lesser extent red, white, blue and purple, while Catholic banners tend to feature a lot of green.

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The Loyal Orange Institution, better known as the Orange Order, is a Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland. It has been a strong supporter of Irish unionism and has had close links with the Ulster Unionist Party, which governed Northern Ireland from 1922 to 1972. The Orange Order has lodges throughout Ireland, although it is strongest in the North. There are also branches throughout the Commonwealth, and in the United States. In the 20th century, the organisation went into sharp decline outside Northern Ireland and County Donegal. McGarry, John; O'Leary, Brendan (1995). Explaining Northern Ireland: Broken Images. Blackwell Publishers. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-631-18349-5.; The Orange marches</ref> The Order has a substantial fraternal and benevolent component.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drumcree conflict</span> Northern Ireland dispute over parades

The Drumcree conflict or Drumcree standoff is a dispute over yearly parades in the town of Portadown, Northern Ireland. The town is mainly Protestant and hosts numerous Protestant marches each summer, but has a significant Catholic minority. The Orange Order insists that it should be allowed to march its traditional route to and from Drumcree Church on the Sunday before the Twelfth of July. However, most of this route is through the mainly Catholic/Irish nationalist part of town. The residents, who see the march as sectarian, triumphalist and supremacist, have sought to ban it from their area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange walk</span> Series of parades held by the Orange Order

Orange walks, or Orange marches, are a series of parades by members of the Orange Order and other Protestant fraternal societies, held during the summer months in various Commonwealth nations, and most notably across Northern Ireland. The parades typically build up to 12 July celebrations marking Prince William of Orange's victory over King James II and VII at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Ireland</span> National flag

The national flag of Ireland, frequently referred to in Ireland as 'the tricolour' and elsewhere as the Irish tricolour is a vertical tricolour of green, white and orange. The proportions of the flag are 1:2.

Ulster Protestants are an ethnoreligious group in the Irish province of Ulster, where they make up about 43.5% of the population. Most Ulster Protestants are descendants of settlers who arrived from Britain in the early 17th century Ulster Plantation. This was the settlement of the Gaelic, Catholic province of Ulster by Scots and English speaking Protestants, mostly from the Scottish Lowlands and Northern England. Many more Scottish Protestant migrants arrived in Ulster in the late 17th century. Those who came from Scotland were mostly Presbyterians, while those from England were mostly Anglicans. There is also a small Methodist community and the Methodist Church in Ireland dates to John Wesley's visit to Ulster in 1752. Although most Ulster Protestants descend from Lowland Scottish people, many descend from English, and to a lesser extent, from Irish, Welsh and Huguenots.

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References

  1. 1 2 Reily, Suzel (2016). The Oxford Handbook of Music and World Christianities. Oxford University Press. pp. 391–400. ISBN   978-0199859993.
  2. "Bombing of Orange Order HQ in 1976 is recalled by those who fled for lives". Belfast Telegraph. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  3. Jess, Mervyn (2012). "A very public display". The Orange Order. O'Brien Press. ISBN   978-1847175113.
  4. Gregory, Derek (2013). Violent Geographies: Fear, Terror, and Political Violence. Routledge. p. 9. ISBN   978-1135929060.
  5. "About the Ulster Covenant". nidirect. December 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  6. "N Ireland's first minister at Ulster Covenant re-enactment". BBC News. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  7. "Its colours they are fine – all over the world". Belfast Telegraph. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  8. "Dervock Young Defenders banned from attending parade in Rasharkin". Causeway Coast News. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  9. Woods, Pat (2013). "Fans in the 50s". Oh, Hampden in the Sun... Random House. ISBN   978-1780578002.
  10. "Turning a new shade of orange". Irish Times. 7 July 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  11. "Order must admit real reason for decline in numbers". Irish Times. 21 July 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2017.