THE ORANGE INSTITUTION
We are a Protestant fraternity with members throughout the world. Autonomous Grand Lodges are found in Scotland, England, the United States of America, West Africa, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.Our name comes from William III, Prince of Orange, and is kept because his victory over despotic power laid the foundation for the evolution of Constitutional Democracy in the British Isles.
When the inappropriately named Defenders attacked Protestant weavers and farmers in Armagh in 1795 the Orange Order which opposes tyranny and despotism in Church and State was re-organised. It is relevant today in a world beset by conflicting systems. In Northern Ireland it faces descendants of the misnamed defenders, Sinn Fein/I.R.A.
- Structure of the Institution
- Qualifications of an Orangeman
The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland - www.goli.org.uk