Coronavirus: Crisis brings out ‘new’ side of Orange Order

According to a friend and colleague of the late Drew Nelson, the response of the Orange Order to the Covid-19 crisis shows how much the organisation has changed.

Senior Orangeman Lewis Singleton, who is secretary of Markethill District LOL 10, said: “What has happened over the last few weeks has to be seen in the context of how I think the institution has changed over the last 20 years from an organisation quite frankly that did very little other than parade.

“While parades are still very, very important, particularly the Twelfth, it’s an organisation which in many areas has developed on the ground in terms of being a very important sector withing the voluntary community, particularly in rural Protestant communities.

“The thing that’s really struck me is the extent of the response across Orangeism in terms of the geographical spread and the amount in terms of the number of areas that have taken it upon themselves to do different things in different ways.

“I don’t think that would have happened 20 years ago. I’m convinced of that.

“In many ways this is the outworking of Drew Nelson’s vision for the institution. I worked for and with Drew for 30 years.

“He made people think again about what our role was in modern society in Northern Ireland. We had to be relevant generally and specifically within our communities. I think that has become very obvious.

“It’s not about publicity. I could name you a number of things that have been done that have attracted no publicity.

“Drew’s vision and the changes that have come about under the radar within the institution are in many areas which I don’t think very many people appreciate.

“People accuse us of living in a bubble. I think we all live in bubbles which depend what your interests are.

“As an Orangeman I happen to live in a bubble with about 35,000 other men. When you extrapolate that into people within our family, within bands and those who support our activities or at the very least go to the Twelfth day, it’s a very big bubble.

“No matter what are detractors would say, in many, many areas there’s been a sea change in thinking about what our role is. That’s a slow burn. Not everybody sees it, not everybody wants to see it. What this has shown is that it’s definitely happening.”

Iain Carlisle, CEO of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, also commented on the extent of the Orange’s Order’s response to Covid-19: “The current situation has brought into focus the charitable and benevolent aspects of our institution which although always there, sometimes go noticed or are simply overlooked.

“Hundreds of lodges and bands across our jurisdiction have been working tirelessly to provide assistance to those in need. This has been done in a range of ways, be that food parcels or collecting prescriptions for the vulnerable or supplying PPE items to local health care staff.

“Their efforts these past few weeks have been outstanding and they are a very positive reflection of the entire Orange family.

“We are very much a national movement and at times like this, the extent of our reach can be seen with our efforts to the fore in towns, villages as well as across rural Ulster.

“In an effort to demonstrate the institution’s commitment to providing assistance at this time, the senior officers of the organisation identified an opportunity to provide practical support to the whole community at a local level by purchasing a very significant amount of PPE.”

He said: “Many of our members and their families are involved in medical and community care roles and other essential services and we know first-hand, the current challenges being faced. These materials were distributed across Northern Ireland and the border counties of the Irish Republic via our network of district lodges.

“Fundraising is ongoing across the jurisdiction and many county grand lodges have already invested heavily in local efforts. Members of the Co Armagh Grand Orange Lodge recently donated £8,500 to the Southern Area Hospice while in Co Fermanagh, a committee comprising representatives of all the loyal orders has already purchased and supplied a very significant amount of PPE and supplies to local care providers in that area.

“At this time, I would also extend a special word of support to our Health Minister Robin Swann, who is doing an excellent job in the most challenging of times. As an Orange family we are very supportive of Minister Swann and are grateful for the leadership he has shown throughout this crisis.”