On ye go now don't be dragging behind....Miss. Please keep the little ones out of the roadway! Thanks...Ladies and Gentlemen the Parade Continues!



Announcer: Orangeism is  worldwide there are Orangemen of all colors and throughout the world.
Peaceful Orange processions occur everywhere.
generally they are met with polite crowds....after
all....everyone loves a parade! Let us go now to
Toronto for one of the biggest! The Toronto Orange Parade  A report on the Toronto Orange parade, which is incidentally the oldest continuous parade of any kind in North America - New Orleans Mardi Gras takes second place. The parade was of course led by a mounted King William followed by Unity Flute Band [Queens York Rangers].  Next came the colour guard of the Metro Toronto Civic War Veterans, followed by County and Grand Lodge officers. Then came a wave of Orange banners each of them separated by a band playing Orange music. Some of the lodges taking part [you never see them all when you're walking in the parade] were Highland Creek 2934, John Ross Robertson 2971, Victory 137, Port Perry 3272, Brampton 5, Eglinton 269, Temperance 301, Belfast Purple Star 875, Tobermore 2391, Torbay 361, Birchcliff 2856, Garibaldi 3119, and Purple Hill 399.  Bands included Unity Fife and Drum, Cambridge Crown Defenders [flute], Ulster Accordian, Oshawa Flute Band, Sons of William [flute], Sandhill Pipe Band, Derry Flute, Tecumseh Fife and Drum. The crowds watching this year's parade seemed to be much larger and they sure as hell were a lot friendlier.  First year I can remember for a long time that we didn't have a bunch of nutbars protesting. The parade in Toronto has over the years become a cultural get-together for those of an Orange family background here in Ontario.  Every year you meet people that you haven't seen since the last 12th and many people travel for hours to attend.  The odd thing here in Ontario is that many people not connected with the Orange Lodge still consider themselves Orange families. This isn't a slam at them, indeed its a compliment to the hold that Orange tradition has kept on these people that for many years haven't been connected to official Orangeism. Here in Ontario the Orange Lodge is truly a cultural mosaic.  Irish, Scottish, Canadian, Greek, Italian, Polish, and even Chinese - Ho Pak, a Past Master of the Windsor, Ontario Lodge, march together united in one common bond - the Protestant faith.  The parade is a shadow of its former self but continues to be the brightest day on the Orange calendar for thousands of Ontarians. -Alex Rough

ANNOUNCER: Next up its the


 ALL THE WAY FROM DOWN UNDER! THE LODGE DRESSED IN DARK BLUE SUITS WITH RED ROSES STAND OUT AGAINST THE BLUE SKY WHAT'S THIS? A HANDBILL THANKS LAD! I WILL READ IT : We are an Orange Fraternity consisting of Ulster and Scots people , adherents to the faith of the Reformation At present we are based in Melbourne , Victoria. The 36th Ulster DivisionThe Battle of the Somme(July 1, 1916)(1998 Instructions) Parade to the Cenotaph starts at 1415 hrs. from Pultney St -mel ref 90 E8 The Service is at 1500 hrs. in the Dandenong Town Hall Lonsdale St. Dandenong Defenders is an Independent Orange Lodge with no connection with the Loyal Orange Institution of Victoria. For more details contact Secretary Eddie Simpson on 03 9 431 0749 or The Master Ray Newall on 039775 7744



QUITE VIRTUAL IN FACT!! Go visit them!

At last a banner!

And lead off by a very loud brass band playing: You guessed it and freely in cyberspace! The Sash! Go ahead sing along:Sing Along!

Actually today Orange Order Processions no longer play the traditional ballads of the time honored tradition. Bowing to intolerant  protests the order has changed many customs to suit the more intollerant sectors of the community. Today religious hymns common to all traditions are the only songs played. Orange parades are also striclty policed ensuring that no objectionable behavior occurs. The processions threaten no one.
                            ANNOUNCER: What would a celebration of the   battle of the Boyne be without the ritual battle     by the Black Preceptory. So move back ladies and                       gentlemen and let the fun begin!

                     Old pretender's last fight King Billy bows out a winner in Scarva
By Gail Walke
  IT WAS, let's face it, unlikely to be a shock result.  No ringside bookies laying odds here. But that didn't stop a tidal wave of anticipation sweeping through tens of thousands of spectators at the first glimpse of the bitter arch-rivals.The centuries fell away as kings William and James, on  horse- back and resplendent in costume, slipped through the trees and into the big field for the sham fight at  Scarva.    Grouped around them for moral support during this annual re- run of the Battle of the Boyne were lieutenant generals and gun-toting foot soldiers. In the orange corner, so to speak, was Billy; in the    green corner - and looking surprisingly confident and unaware of the tragedy to come - was James.  Suddenly the first shot rang out, smoke filled the air and the crowd surged forward; in seconds we were all in  the thick of battle.  Gunfire rained thick and heavy; the green standard came  under brutal attack. To be honest, though, some of its  defenders didn't really seem to have their hearts in the  job.  Nevertheless, torn and tattered it hung on in there    anyway.   Then, just when it looked as if James was a goner, the    combatants split apart and headed up opposite sides of    the field with many of the crowd in hot pursuit.   They regrouped in front of a startled platform party where this time the Catholic monarch had no escape.    "Go on, kick his ass when you have him down on the   ground," roared one man as the defeated king staggered   and fell.  Another, swept away by the imminent victory, shouted:  "Cremate him, where you have him." One little girl,    however, was fast losing enthusiasm for the battle royal. "He's not really dead, daddy, is he?" she piped up.  Her relief was tangible when, seconds later, a  happy-looking James was hoisted to his feet.  I caught up with King Billy just after he dismounted. Wig   in hand and sweat on brow he had some devastating news to  deliver - his own abdication.  Glancing around and lowering his voice, his alter ego Trevor Whitten revealed: "That was my last one. I'll not   be back." The Scarva man admitted that, contrary to    appearances, the showdown had been a close run thing.  Indeed, it could have been history in the unmaking.  "I nearly slipped out there and it wouldn't take me to go   down.   "It's a younger man's job. I've done it more than 10   years but no more," he said, shaking his head at the  unthinkable defeat. King James, aka John Adair from Scarva, was philosophical about his trouncing: "Let's just say, after all these  years, you get used to it." Meanwhile, an international   photographer was snapping away feverishly.  "Does this make you all feel like a war correspondents?"  he asked. We all hoped he was joking. (Though it was about then that I noticed I had been  shot...in a manner of speaking. Fall-out from one of the  cartridges had singed a neat hole in my shirt.) Another   overseas visitor who relished every minute of the   spectacle was Richard Atchoe, a member of the Black  Preceptory from Ghana. "I love the whole atmosphere," he   enthused. "The unity of it all." He was poised to reply     to my question of how he became a Blackman when 77-    year-old Bert Atwell interrupted: "If a black man can't   join the Black Preceptory." I never got my answer    because they all collapsed in fits.  Mr Atwell, also a Blackman and originally from nearby   Tandragee, had travelled from Johnstone, in Scotland. "I     wouldn't miss it. Never." Some of the other 80,000  visitors yesterday hailed from the USA, New Zealand,    Toga, Scotland, England, the Republic and Australia.   They thronged the village and lined the route to the    demense at Scarva House, where the event takes place.   Many people I spoke to commented on the great carnival   atmosphere, which they felt had been missing from this   year's Twelfth.    In fact, the only near disaster came just before the    platform address. An oil painting of Lord Molyneaux being  presented by the Preceptory to its Sovereign Grand Master     to mark his elevation to the Upper House was suddenly    blown off its easel by a gust of wind.   The relief of the faces of the men who retrieved it and     discovered it was still intact was comparable only to    that of King Billy, when he regained his balance and saw    victory in his sights.- (From the Belfast Telegraph 7/15/97)

Lets listen in as an older Orangeman is talking to his teen age grandsons about what the 12th  means to him: Harold Rutherford Alexander is an Ulster-American who
was born in Belfast.  He emigrated to the USA in 1963.   He holds
degrees from Queen's University, Belfast, Trinity College, Dublin,
and Columbia University, New York.  He is President of the American
Association of   Orange Societies and has served as Grand Master of the
Loyal Orange   Institution of the USA.  Here is what he had to say:

"The Twelfth of July is one among the many national
holidays of the  western world.  In the United States we celebrate our
independence on  the Fourth of July, in France the fall of the Bastille
on July 14 is the focus of national rejoicing, and in Mexico the
Cinco de Mayo evokes patriotic and national sentiment.  The list
goes on but these few examples will suffice.  The people of Ulster, both
at home and throughout the world, celebrate the Twelfth.  These
national holidays are occasions of remembrance, thanksgiving, and
reaffirmation.  They are marked by military and other parades, religious
processions, fireworks displays, and dancing in the streets.  Our
celebration of the Twelfth has all of these.  However, the Twelfth
has for many a more private and personal meaning.

In 1690 the Glorious Revolution had taken root in
England, but in Ireland this was not so.  James II, the deposed King
of England, had gone to Ireland as a step toward reclaiming the
throne.  He was welcomed by the Gaelic chieftains who saw the
possibility of completing the genocide that had almost succeeded in
the 1640s.  If the Battle of the Boyne on the Twelfth of July, 1690,
had gone differently, I would not be here today.  It is often
said that the Battle of the Boyne was a minor skirmish in a major
European war, and that the forces arrayed against James, and his patron
Louis XIV of  France, would have eventually prevailed even if the
Boyne had been lost.  However, it was a major event for the small
farmers and settlers in Ulster.  If the outcome at the Boyne had
been different, the Irish tribes, reinforced by the professional
armies of France, would have had months or even years to uproot the
Ulster plantation, to kill the settlers or drive them into the sea.  If
that had happened, neither I nor my wife would exist today.

I mean that quite literally.  Even if our forebears
had managed to escape death, the complex web of relationships, which
has produced me as a unique person, would have been ruptured again and
again.  In Ulster, after the Boyne, the small farmer, tradesman,
or artisan could go to bed at night and be reasonably sure that he and
his family would not be murdered nor harried from their homes before
dawn.  The Ulster community could now develop its own unique national
character and it  would later provide the United States and other
countries with the  flow of settlers, pioneers and immigrants which
continues to this day. In the history of the United States the Scotch-Irish
are recognized as a distinct national group whose imprint is evident on
all the institutions of the nation.  Without the Scotch-Irish
(the name by   which Ulster-Americans or Orange-Americans are known)
the United States would have evolved quite differently.

The Scotch-Irish were the first to defy the British ban on settlement west of the Appalachians
by setting up the Republic of Transylvania in what is now Kentucky and Tennessee.  They were the
first to declare independence from Great Britain at Mecklenbury, North
Carolina, in May  1775, more than a year before the Declaration in
Philadelphia in July1776.  In 1836, they prevailed against another empire  when they
rebelled against Mexican tyranny to found the Republic
of Texas.  The climactic moment of this struggle was the massacre of
the Scotch-Irish defenders at the fall of the Alamo.  In my heart I
know that the pioneers who died at the Alamo were inspired by folk
memories of the Siege of Derry.

These are some of the things upon which I reflect when
I assemble with my brethren on a bright summer morning in July.  Above
all I revere  the memory of that small, chronically ill figure,
Prince William of Orange, and I am awed by his miraculous escape from
death at the Boyne when the cannon-ball inflicted a wound that was less
than mortal.  I give thanks for the Divine Providence that saved his
life, thereby setting in motion the tide of history that has
sustained and prospered the Ulster people until today."

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It was a fairly humid morning as members of Portadown District gathered in the town's Carleton St at around 10am. News had been coming in that the security forces had cleared the Garvaghy Rd and were preparing to seal the road off completely so that the Orangemen could make their way along their traditional route from Drumcree church. The only other people visible in the street were the press who were roaming around like vultures at times in the hope of picking up anything which may discredit the Institution. The brethern were very subdued as they waited to be addressed by the Worshipful District Master and set of to Drumcree parish church. Most of the brethren were of the opinion that the Chief Constable had for once taken the right decision regarding the parade and also that the nationalist backlash organized by Sinn Fein/IRA could be a militant and bloody one. The condemnation which was to follow the parade from the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland was in complete contrast to the views she expressed at a meeting in Brownlow House on Friday night. During this she acknowledged that SF/IRA were behind the residents groups and that the Orangemen were the ones who had suffered in the past. The compromise offered to the Orangemen was that if they didn't walk the road they MAY be given an opportunity to walk it at a time in the future hopefully this year. On the other hand the final compromise offered to the SF/IRA resident's group was a twelve million pound investment into the Garvaghy Rd area if the parade was allowed to pass. As the parade set off into the town centre it was clear that a large crowd had gathered to watch the Orangemen accompanied by two bands. The parade turned back on itself in the town centre as it passed Woodhouse St where it had been re -routed from in the mid-eighties, a promise at the time by the then Chief Constable Jack Hermon regarding the surety of walking down the Garvaghy Rd had been broken in the past two years. As the walk proceeded past the Edgarstown area a large crowd had also gathered, the Orangemen again remained stone faced except when to acknowledge relatives and the like. A banner at the side of the road read "There are no Nationalist areas in Portadown, just ones temporarily occupied" which gave a hint at the depth of feeling from the loyalist people of the town. The parade passed Clonavon Ave where a lone republican taunted and hurled abuse at the passing procession in the hope that the media would catch a walker stepping out of line, this street had seen ethnic cleansing of Protestants over the last decade. The parade then headed past Corcrain Orange hall which although still flew the union flag, had even more republican graffiti on it. The hall had been burned severely a few years before as SF/IRA tried to push Protestants completely from this area. The long route to the church finally passed the chapel at the end of the Garvaghy Rd and the church was only another mile or so away. At this point there was an extensive police, army and media presence, the Orangemen again remained dignified and resolute. After reaching the church and before entering the church the Orangemen queued for cups of water as the especially long route in the humid weather had taken it's toll, particularly on older members. Then the Orangemen attended the service which lasted for around an hour with all the brethren not able to gain entry to the church or the hall. When the service was over the Brethren were again addressed by the WDM and after this, proceeded to form up in rows of six with only one of the bands to return. The return parade passed off without incidence until it turned into the Garvaghy Rd where it was met with one of the largest security presence I have ever seen. The Accordion band had stopped playing and all that could be heard was the abuse and taunting from some residents. Orangemen again refused to be drawn from their serious yet bemused expressions. The hatred for all things Protestant was clear for everyone to see on the faces of the republicans as further on down the road they made as much noise as possible which may have been to try and intimidate the Brethren. Three new murals had been painted recently and sectarian banners and foreign flags flew all around as the lone union flag, the Orange standard and the Portadown bannerette moved as quickly and respectfully down the road as possible. Some of the soldiers looked young enough still to be at school and seemed a bit surprised at what the whole fuss was about. Debris still lay on the road from the rioting the night before and RUC men were clad in what seemed to be navy fire resistant suits. Republicans tried to assault members of the security forces and indeed fired a limited number of missiles into the procession. Further on down the road the parade passed what used to be unionist area but due to ethnic cleansing by SF/IRA the only Protestants who live their now are older ones who had come out onto the street to show their appreciation to the Brethren. Just before the Carpet factory and Parkmount Arch a group of people had gathered at Woodside Green to publicly display their hatred for all things not associated with nationalism. They hurled a few missiles into the parade but again the brethren remained dignified. The media again were no where to be seen as they only wished to take pictures of the brethren in case anyone stepped out of line. After the parade passed through large crowds from Shillington's to Carleton St the parade ended and already word was coming through of orchestrated attacks and rioting by SF/IRA in certain republican blackspots in the province.The aftermath, well the full extent of this has yet to seen but the real burning question that many Brethren would like answered is "What exactly is offensive about this parade?

The Year is now 1998 and a peaceful march along a traditional route was stopped by a government who responded not to safeguard civil rights but to appease a mob of republicans,catholics and nationalists who threatened the peaceful, legal, non threatening and traditional marchers with violence.

Why can't republicans, nationalists, and catholics extend civil rights to their fellow citizens? A peaceful march threatening no one, harming no one could have occured with peaceful protest and been done with. But the community of violence had their way and this is now the sad scene:
Having a field day at Drumcree

                      'We will walk Garvaghy Road' 
                       By Dan McGinn and Claire McGahan
           IT could have been any Twelfth field.
           Couples draped in Red Hand flags and wearing Union Jack caps pushed prams as they picked their way through the market stalls selling Orange memorabilia.
           Old men in collarettes looked on as families stood around  barbecues or picnic baskets with Coke bottles, flasks of coffee or cans of lager in their hands, waiting to dole out food to   their children.
           Others were taking it easy in their cars or in the field, sitting    or lying on newspapers to shield themselves from the damp  in between sporadic bursts of rain.
           The sound of distant flutes and lambeg drums carried over   the sloping Co Armagh countryside.
           But a gaze across the field at the lines of barbed wire, the  trench, the armoured cars and the soldiers crouched across
           the barricades soon shattered any illusions.
           This was no ordinary Twelfth.
           Drumcree had entered its ninth day.
           For Portadown Orangemen, it was business as usual, despite      the pressure on them to call off their protest in the wake of   the triple murder of the Quinn children in Ballymoney.
           The day had had a low-key start.
           The numbers staying overnight had dwindled to their lowest   since the stand-off began more than a week ago.
           Only around 200 people awoke to face the day of traditional  Twelfth marches.
           In the uneasy quiet, it was possible for the first time during    this crisis to hear the gentle hum of electricity generators -
 previously drowned out by the roar of the crowd, the banging of Lambeg drums, fireworks exploding and the sound of  plastic bullets.
           Men and women emerged from cars, tents and caravans into  the sunshine clutching towels, toothbrushes and kettles. The aroma of toast wafted through the air.
           As the day wore on, there was a steady flow of Orangemen  and their supporters to and from the site, with some people  arriving fresh from their local Twelfth demonstrations.
           A mini-Twelfth parade was staged mid- morning, with   hundreds of Orangemen marching behind the Star of David  Accordion Band to the church and the Army barricade
           before dispersing.
           However, the numbers were still smaller than in previous days.
           Orangemen insisted the depleted numbers were due to
           people returning to their own areas to prepare for their local
           Twelfth celebrations.
           The real acid test of continued support would be in the
           evening when the Twelfth demonstrations across the
           province ended.
           Addressing the crowd, Portadown District Master Harold
           Gracey paid tribute to Orangemen from outside the town
           who had come to support them in recent days.
           "I personally thank you for that support and would ask for
           your continued support until the end of this struggle.
           "I know it is there. We are expecting brethren tonight from
           the Lurgan demonstration and I know that the Coleraine
           District is definitely coming." Rumours circulated among the
           crowd that DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, would appear
           again at the church in solidarity with the Portadown
           However, most of the conversation centred on the events of
           the weekend and the pressure being exerted from within the
           Orange Order, from Stormont and the British Government
           for them to call off their protest.
           One man said the appeal from the pulpit from the Rev
           William Bingham for them to end their stand-off, and his
           claim that any march down Garvaghy Road would be a
           "hollow victory", was unwelcome to many gathered at
           "The Rev Bingham does not speak for the rank and file
           people who are here and who are prepared to stay here until
           we get our right and get to walk back to Carleton Street by
           the Garvaghy Road," he said.
           "Our resolve is still strong. We will walk the Garvaghy Road.
           What was right yesterday and the day before is still right

           today.-Source-Ulster News 
For photos of the 2000 protests and brutal police action to deprive rights 
click here

"Somewhere I read of the freedom 
of assembly. Somewhere I read of the 
freedom of speech.Somewhere I read 
of the freedom of the press. Somewhere 
I read that the greatness of America is
the right to protest for right.And so just 
as I say, we aren't going to let any 
injunction turn us around. We are going on."
(Martin Luther King - "I see the Promised Land"
speech in Memphis)     

The Year is
2000 Will the Orange Order Go into the Next Century with their
Basic Rights denied?
Watch This Space!

A Horrible reminder of the intollerance which still meets the Orange order as it peacefully parades and goes about its business is the act of arson which consumed the Moree Orange Lodge.

Please consider stopping by the Moree Lodge Page to assist this lodge in recovering from this terrible disaster to go to Moree Lodge click here

I hope that these pages have provided you with a view of Orange Processions which is more positive than that provided by the media. In any case I recommend that you vist the web pages of the Grand Lodge of the Orange Order to receive important official information.

Grand Lodge of Ireland Visit Goli!

A few closing songs:
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