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The County Grand Secretary of Fermanagh, Robert Dane, has
called for more respect for Orange Culture.
Speaking at the opening of an Orange Arch in Kesh on Wednesday,
July 1, he said:
"It is a privilege for me to have been invited to open
this Orange arch. Arches such as this are a visible expression
of our culture and, at one time, could be seen in many towns
and villages throughout the Country at this time of year,
but this is now the only Orange arch that remains in County
Fermanagh and that is a very sad state of affairs.
"Make no mistake about it - the culture of the Orange
Order, the Protestant community and the Unionist community
is under attack.
"There is a cultural war currently in this province
of ours and we need to highlight that it is taking place.
"And we also need to resist it.
"Nationalists and republicans have their own culture.
Much of it based around gaelic sport, music and dance. It
is their culture and we should respect it.
"Protestant culture is different. It is often based
around service to the crown in the uniform of the country
- and tonight, this 93rd anniversary of the Battle of The
Somme is a reminder of the service that many people gave when
it was so badly needed. We should not forget that in the First
and Second World War people from all sections of the community
fought side by side against tyranny.
"Our culture is also about pageantry, colour and music.
We love our parades and like all of you here tonight I am
looking forward to the Twelfth in Lisbellaw. It will be a
wonderful day for all the family as we celebrate the traditions
that are so close to our hearts.
"But the nationalist and republican community needs
to understand that parades are a central part of our culture.
"They must give us the same respect that we should give
their culture.
"There is a growing trend in society that all things
gaelic and Irish are seen as worthy and integral to the life
of a community while some people tend to look down on Orange
culture as if it was a second class citizen.
"We must not allow that to happen. We must explain what
our culture means to us and why we celebrate our various traditions.
"The two very different cultures can live side by side.
People should not go out of their way to be offended. If a
certain aspect of culture does not interest you, or even offends
you, then surely it is not too much to ask that you avoid
it if at all possible.
"Culture is an expression of identity and as we stand
around this Orange arch tonight, we are marking the culture
of the generations who came before us, and setting out the
traditions that will be followed by future generations.
"If you are comfortable with your identity, there should
be nothing to fear from other peoples culture.
"The Orange Order was formed in 1795. It is still a
vibrant institution with 100,000 members worldwide. There
can very few cultural organisations of the same size.
"I believe we have a bright future and one of which
we can all be proud. We have a part to play in society and
we must not shirk our responsibility to make Northern Ireland
a better place for everyone to live.
"We will continue to mark our culture, we ask for others
to respect that identity and we should also respect theirs.
"There are many things that can ensure Northern Ireland
has a good future - but one of the key building blocks must
be a respect for the many varied cultures that make up our
society."
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