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Press Statement by Orange Order (28 April 2006)

The Orange Institution remains true to our foundation principles, and any suggestions otherwise are misleading.
After the Battle of the Boyne the anniversary of the victory was celebrated, and historical accounts detail that the Twelfth of July was marked with parades prior to the formation of the Orange Order in 1795.

Crucial tenets of the Institution have thus been the cultural commemoration of the Boyne and the Williamite tradition and the strong religious basis of the Institution, grounded in the Protestant Reformed faith.

The Institution was formed for the defence of Protestantism in the widest possible sense. In 1795, after the Battle of the Diamond, the founding fathers felt that this was very literal in the context of physical attacks on Protestants. As time progressed, while there were still physical attacks on Protestants and Orangemen, the literal aspects of defence of Protestantism thankfully progressed more into cultural celebration and preservation, and the continuing wish to promote and metaphorically defend the Protestant faith.

In modern times the Institution has taken a lead in varied and exciting community activities. Recently we celebrated the achievement of attracting £1 million of funding for Orange-based groups in County Down, and the Credit Union movement within Orange Halls over the past few decades has been an outstanding success.

We continue to play an important part in many communities right across Northern Ireland and the Border counties and, far from betraying the tradition of Orangeism, we have ensured that it has survived and prospered.
We believe that the Orange Order has increasing relevance within the Protestant community and has a role to play in the future of Northern Ireland.

Any organisation must evolve to continue being relevant and the evolution of the Orange Order has included increasing work within and for communities. Rather than betraying our traditions and becoming increasingly irrelevant, the Orange Order shows the exact opposite tendency and this is surely something to be welcomed by all who have the interests of the Institution at heart.

Rev. Brian Kennaway, who is a member of Christian Crusaders LOL No.1339 has provided what appears to be a personalised and, in the context of the most recent years, a partial account and understanding of events. He is absolutely entitled to his own opinion, and has clearly expressed this in his book.

While anyone is at liberty to try and write and be published, what interests us is that this book appears to have been supported by the Community Relations Council. We have now requested, under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act, details of the grant application and the factors that led to public money being used to help support this book, which is, as far as we are concerned, a personalised account of events.

We are disappointed that despite wishing to see a copy of the book prior to the launch so that we could develop an informed judgement, the publisher did not feel motivated to match our request. Given the nature of the publication, we are not surprised.

It is often said that one cannot judge a book by its cover. However, we note that on the cover Professor David Fitzpatrick of Trinity College is quoted as saying the following: 'Brian Kennaway's impassioned but lucid anatomy of contemporary Orangeism depicts an organisation in rapid material and moral decline, unable either to adjust to external reality or to maintain its 'fundamental core values' of evangelical Protestantism.'

However, having discussed this matter with Professor Fitzpatrick, an academic for whom we have a high regard, he has confirmed that what he actually said was the following: 'Brian Kennaway's impassioned but lucid anatomy of contemporary Orangeism depicts an organisation in rapid material and moral decline, unable either to adjust to external reality or to maintain its 'fundamental core values' of evangelical Protestantism. As a former insider, he perhaps exaggerates both the current malaise and the moral integrity of Orangeism in the past. This book will undoubtedly provoke fruitful debate, both within and beyond the fractured Orange family'.

In our view and that of Professor Fitzpatrick this second sentence is an important qualification and we wonder if all other jacket cover quotes are accurate. If the cover, the first introduction to the book for most readers, is inaccurate, then this does not speak highly of the overall content."