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Specially designed in-your-pocket guides to the history of
the Orange Order are being distributed to 20,000 schoolchildren
across Northern Ireland.
The move is part of the Order's plan to educate people about
their history and traditions.
The fold out guides use graphic drawings to illustrate the
origins of the Orange Order. The mini booklets start with
the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 when King William won his
victory over King James.
The Orange Institution was formed in 1795 following the Battle
of the Diamond in Loughall.
The mini-booklets were produced by the Education Committee
of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland.
David Scott, Orange Order Education Officer, said: "We
wanted to produce in-your-pocket guides that were colourful
and a bit of fun. We hope they will help schoolchildren at
the key stage 2 and 3 understand more about the Order, in
particular for their study of history and citizenship.
"They are meant to be a support material and a resource
that kids can use in their studies. We have used drawings
to bring to life King William and Queen Mary and King James
so that young people can put a face to the names.
"People now want to understand more about each other's
culture and traditions and we hope these will be a success.
The Battle of the Boyne and everything that followed it is
part of our shared history and more understanding about the
origins of the Order can only be a good thing.
"I speak to many different schools about the Order and
the youngsters always ask lots of really good questions. These
visual aids are something they can take away with them and
have a quick look at when they are having exams or writing
about the period."
Grand Master Robert Saulters said the mini-booklets were
a great idea.
"There is a growing interest in the history of the Orange
Order and the Protestant people of Northern Ireland,"
he said.
"The Orange Order attended the Smithsonian Festival
in Washington and it was amazing to see just how many people
had roots within our community. And it was not just Protestants
who wanted to know about the Order. The United States has
woken up to the fact that there are more than Irish -Americans
in their country and it was refreshing to see their interest.
"The Government of the Irish Republic is spending 30MEuro
on the Boyne Battlefield site which will be a huge step towards
explaining the history of the Orange Order. We are working
with the tourist authorities on both sides of the border about
how we can all benefit from cultural tourism.
"These mini-booklets are a small but highly effective
way of explaining our history and we hope that schools will
find them very useful."
The booklets can be obtained at the headquarters of the Orange
Order at Schomberg House, 368 Cregagh Road, Belfast, BT6 9EY,
or by telephoning David Scott on 028 90701122.
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