SF leader won't get Orange invite

In an interview with the News Letter on Monday, the new Sinn Féin president expressed a keen desire to meet the order – which earlier this month welcomed the taoiseach to its headquarters in east Belfast.

Mrs McDonald also said that she would attend the Twelfth of July if she was invited.

However, when Martin McGuinness made a similar suggestion two years ago the institution rejected it, highlighting the more than 300 of its members who were murdered during the Troubles, most by the IRA, and that “Sinn Fein have never apologised, nor shown genuine remorse, for [their] murder”.

When asked if she would issue such an apology, Mrs McDonald repeatedly said she was “sorry” for the “hurt” caused by the IRA and, after being pressed on the issue, when it was put to her that it was more than hurt and involved murder she said “Yes”.

In a statement yesterday, the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland said that it had “a longstanding policy of not meeting with Sinn Fein” and that “the current comments by Mrs McDonald do not alter that position”.

It said that “any apology for murder is between those making it and the families of the bereaved. The sincerity of the apology will be judged by the actions of those making it.”

The order also made clear that it would not be inviting Mrs McDonald to the Twelfth – but that as a public event she could attend anyway: “All our demonstrations are public, and anyone is free to attend them. However, the Orange Institution will not be issuing a specific invitation to the Sinn Fein president, to attend any of our Twelfth celebrations.

“Such an invitation would insult the memory of our murdered members and bring further hurt and distress to many families.”