Fermanagh Twelfth Speech
Fermanagh County Grand Master Tom Elliott has recorded the support of his Orange brethren for the News Letter campaign to hold an Ulster parade in honour of Northern Ireland troops who are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"In our Twelfth resolutions we remember the many who paid the supreme sacrifice, that sacrifice that has given us the freedom to participate in our celebrations and, indeed, has secured that same freedom for the many who would like to stop us exercising our rights today and indeed on many other occasions," Mr Elliott told Orangemen at Kesh.
"Thankfully, there have been our comrades and friends in the past who have been prepared to defend our land, our state and indeed our Institution. We should also be grateful that there continues to be those from our midst that remain steadfast in their loyalty and devotion to defend our land.
These people from our society should not be taken for granted and should be given our thankful appreciation and support. I would like to put on record my support for the News Letter campaign to have an Ulster parade for Ulster troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.
"Unfortunately, however, this is nothing new for the people of this province who are loyal to our realm and kingdom. For generations we as loyal citizens have been required to battle for our very survival. This situation can be traced right back in history to the Glorious Revolution in Great Britain in 1688-1691 and the Williamite Wars in Ireland during the same period.
"Then there was the formation of the Orange Order in 1795 when Protestantism was under a huge strain; the struggle against Home Rule in Ireland came over a century later and this was the beginning of an enormous sacrifice of our local brethren and friends throughout the 20th century with the Great war and especially at the Somme, the second World War of 1939-45, the IRA border campaign of the 1950s/1960s followed by the recent terrorist campaign."
Mr Elliott, an Ulster Unionist MLA, added: "Against this background it is almost a miracle that we as a Protestant people continue to be an ardent and progressive group in this Province and becoming an ever-increasing influence in the Republic of Ireland. Throughout these difficult periods it has become obvious that the more our 'backs are to the wall' the stronger and more committed we become.
"It is important that in our work to defend ourselves we do not forget or misplace our commitment to the UK and must ensure that we treat ourselves as British.
"Our next task must be to stop the erosion of Britishness from our province. This appears to be happening right throughout the Province. The Orange Institution must be to the fore in reclaiming our rightful place as a core element of the British Realm. If we don't do it for ourselves I don't believe anyone will do it for us.
"In the recent terror campaign in our province when 31 Fermanagh brethren were brutally murdered by cold-blooded IRA killers. This County Grand Lodge has agreed to provide a memorial bannerette with the names of all those murdered on it to be carried at all official County Grand Lodge events. While we can never replace these brethren I trust that their memory will live on by way of this tribute.
SEE FULL TWELFTH COVERAGE IN MONDAY'S NEWSPAPER WHERE READERS CAN ENJOY A 24-PAGE PICTURE SUPPLEMENT WITH MORE THAN 100 IMAGES FROM ACROSS THE PROVINCE
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Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 9 C
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