Orange Order
The Orange Order flag, incorporating the colour orange, the purple star of the Williamites and the St George's Cross
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The Orange Order logo
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| Named after | King William of Orange |
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| Formation | 1795 |
| Founded at | Loughgall, County Armagh |
| Type | Fraternity |
| Headquarters | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
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| Edward Stevenson | |
The Loyal Orange Institution (Irish: An Dílis Institiúid Oráisteach), more commonly known as the Orange Order (Irish: An tOrd Oráisteach), is a Protestant fraternal organisation based primarily in Northern Ireland. It also has a significant presence in the Scottish Lowlands and lodges throughout the Commonwealth and United States. The Orange Order was founded in County Armagh in 1795, during a period of Protestant–Catholic sectarian conflict, as a Masonic-style brotherhood sworn to maintain the Protestant Ascendancy. It is headed by the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, which was established in 1798. Its name is a tribute to the Dutch-born Protestant king William of Orange, who defeated the army of Catholic king James VII & II in the Williamite War in Ireland (1688–1691). Its members wear orange sashes and are referred to as Orangemen. The Order is best known for its yearly marches, the biggest of which are held on or around 12 July ('The Twelfth').
Politically, the Orange Order is a conservative British unionist organisation with links to Ulster loyalism. It campaigned against Scottish independence in 2014. The Order sees itself as defending Protestant civil and religious liberties, whilst critics accuse the Order of being sectarian, triumphalist and supremacist. It has also been criticised for associating with loyalist paramilitary groups. As a Protestant society, it does not accept non-Protestants as members unless they convert and adhere to the principles of Orangeism, nor does it accept Protestants married to Catholics. Orange marches through mainly Catholic and nationalist neighbourhoods in Northern Ireland are controversial and have often led to violence.
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