Bushmills woman Leanne Abernethy shares what it means to walk the Twelfth of July as a family for the first time

The Worshipful Mistress of Daughters of Dalriada WLOL 234 – the lodge Leanne helped found just two years ago – will walk the route with her mother Gloria, and children, Poppy, 11, Worthy Mistress of a newly formed junior lodge, Daughters of Bushmills, and 12-year-old son Alfie, Worshipful Master of the Bushmills Junior Orange Lodge.

Getting ready will be full of excitement and connection.

“There’s just a buzz in the house,” says Leanne. “It’s all four of us getting dressed up together. My mum lives with me, so it’s truly a family affair. It’s magical.

"This will be our first 12th walking all of us together. And just the absolute pride to be walking and seeing my two children in front of me. And you know that your other sisters and the other brethren that are there are all looking out for each other. It's just a complete family."

For Leanne, who is originally from Dungannon, but has been living in Bushmills for 18 years, the walk is a kind of meditation.

“In a busy world, where you’re constantly doing something, it’s therapeutic. You’re walking. You’re not on your phone. You’re not in conversation. You’re focused — even on potholes! — but you’ve got that quiet space to think.”

After the parade comes the field — another tradition full of love and laughter.

“We all make sandwiches, bring buns and juice. It's just a family atmosphere with people who aren't your family, but are your family now. It’s a community within a community.” We're sitting in the Ulidian Centre in Ballymoney, home to Her Story: Women in Loyalism, a project Leanne, 46, proudly manages. Started in 2021, it has grown into a vital support and education hub for loyalist women, with 79 members from towns across Northern Ireland—including Carrickfergus,

the Derry City and Strabane Council area, Antrim, and East Belfast.

Funded by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, the project is grassroots but deeply ambitious.

“We’re helping women feel confident in political conversations. Sometimes they don’t feel they understand the language, so they stay quiet or just don’t go into those spaces. We’re changing that.

“We study key political texts. We’ve read the Good Friday Agreement, the Windsor Framework, ‘New Decade, New Approach’—and we challenge each other. It's about learning and being able to say, ‘Actually, I’ve read that and here’s what I think.’”

In 2023, during a Her Story discussion, some women expressed curiosity about joining the Orange Order.

“They said, ‘We’d love to join, but we don’t know how.’ So we visited the Orange Heritage Centre at Loughgall, spoke to the Grand Lodge, and they helped us connect with the Women’s Lodge.”

Though the idea began within Her Story, the formation of their lodge—Daughters of Dalriada WLOL 234, based at Bushmills Orange Hall—is entirely independent. Nine women from that initial conversation became founding members and were officially installed in February 2024.

“It was a very proud moment,” she says. “There’s a ceremony, but I can’t say too much about it. It’s just… magical. There’s just no other way to describe it — it was like going home.”

That sense of family resonates deeply. Leanne’s grandfather and uncles were long-time members of the Orange Order and she can recall her childhood memories of Twelfth of July mornings—her granny making breakfast for the marching men. Now, she feels like she’s reclaiming that heritage.

“My dad passed away almost seven years ago, and I realised I’d never really asked enough about our family history. This feels like I’m reconnecting with that.”

She says of the Association of Loyal Orangewomen of Ireland (ALOI): “If someone’s in trouble, we rally round. It’s more than sisterhood—it’s family.”

Indeed, when Leanne finished her Master’s in Social Policy before Christmas, she says: “The lodge held a wee celebration for me—with cake and all. I’d never had anything like that before.”

The Twelfth of July parade is only one of many moments throughout the year.

“We have a lot of annual divine services around here, organised by the men’s lodges,” she says. “We walk through local areas, greeted by familiar faces, waving, especially the wee juniors — they’ve perfected their queen wave, walking proudly even if no one’s looking.”

The services themselves hold deep meaning.

“They’re about our faith, and the messages feel very real to our culture and history. We visit different churches — Presbyterian, Free Presbyterian, Church of Ireland — and it’s a lovely way to connect beyond our own congregations.

“You start recognising people you’d only ever passed on the street. Now you stop and chat. You meet others from different lodges. It’s like this whole big family.”

Leanne explains what her role of Worshipful Mistress entails.

“It’s like being the chairperson of a group,” she says. “I’m still learning, and honestly, the support from the Grand Lodge has been amazing. Going in nearly blind was daunting, but they’ve nurtured me.”

Her role keeps her busy — from planning parades to organising refreshments for gatherings.

“I’m a control freak,” she laughs, “so I probably do more than I need to, but it’s all about making sure everything runs smoothly.”

Despite the demanding schedule, the sense of care and camaraderie is ever-present.

“We look after each other — if someone’s been quiet, we check in, invite them for tea, have a chat. It’s that family element again, being there for one another.”

Beyond parades and meetings, community and charity work are vital to the lodge’s identity.

“We raise money, support orange charities, but also other causes close to our hearts. Like the Sands Charity, where many of us knitted blankets.”

One cause particularly touched the lodge: helping a young girl named Joniece Sheppard, who has cerebral palsy, get life-changing surgery.

“She was fed through tubes and fading away because she couldn’t get surgery on the NHS,” Leanne recounts.

“The whole area came together — breakfasts, events, fundraisers. We did a pudding party with the men’s lodge and raised money. She had her surgery and is doing well now.”

This quiet, collective kindness embodies the lodge’s spirit.

“We do it quietly — behind the scenes, but proudly. It’s about coming together as a group and supporting one another.”

So what would Leanne say to a young woman considering joining the Association of Loyal Orangewomen of Ireland?

“Go for it. Make time for yourself. Life is busy, but this is your time — once a month, meeting women, having a chat, building friendships. You can be as involved as you want. Parades aren’t mandatory; it’s about belonging.”

Looking ahead, Leanne hopes to keep learning and serving in whatever way the lodge finds useful, especially with her background in social policy and community development.

“I want to be useful. I’m not here to climb ranks — I’m here to help.”

It is also about creating a legacy.

“In a hundred years, will people look back and say, ‘Those were the women who formed this lodge’? I hope so,” she says. “Because this is our footprint. Of who we are. Our culture, our heritage, our identity.”