Monday 13 December 2010

GRAND MASTER PAYS TRIBUTE TO WILLIAM THOMPSON

The Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, Robert Saulters, has paid tribute to former MP, William Thompson, from Beragh, Tyrone, who died at the weekend.

Mr Saulters said:

“William Thompson was a dedicated Orangeman who worked very hard for the institution.

“He took a particular interest in parading issues and was not afraid to stand up for what he believed in.

“I appointed him as one of my two assistant grand masters from 2004 to 2007 and I was honoured to have his support. He was a man of great principle and someone I trusted entirely.”

Sunday 12 December 2010

GRAND LODGE CONDEMN ATTACK ON TYRONE ORANGE HALL

The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland has condemned an attack on an Orange Hall in Beragh over the weekend.

Kirkpatrick Memorial Hall, on the Donaghanie Road, Beragh, is the home of Beragh LOL 796 and a local branch of the Apprentice Boys of Derry.
Cages protecting windows on the hall, were ripped off and the windows were smashed. The front door of the hall was forced open and inside the building, curtains were set on fire and other fittings were smashed.
The fire burnt itself out.
The hall has been targeted on a number of previous occasions but the damage was relatively minor.

A spokesman for Grand Lodge said:
“This seems to have been a carefully planned attack and those responsible would have spent some time around the building.
“Anyone who saw people acting suspiciously around the hall should let the police know as soon as possible. The way to deal with these attacks by helping the police catch the culprits and then it is up to the courts to deal properly the offenders.
“An attack on an Orange Hall is a blatant attack on our culture and must be taken seriously by everyone in the community and by the relevant authorities.”

Thursday 2 December 2010

“A STRUGGLE TO BE HEARD – By a True Ulster Liberal”


"A STRUGGLE TO BE HEARD – By a True Ulster Liberal"
by John Laird (The Lord Laird of Artigarvan)

This outline of the Ulster Scots and Unionist cases and the journey undertaken by John Laird to fully understand and explain them, is available from www.lordlaird.co.uk

Price is £9.99 plus packaging and posting. SO ORDER NOW.

The Executive Summary includes such points as-
  • Modern liberal thinking holds that nationalism is backward looking and out of tune with the modern world.
  • Ulster Scots cultural thinking is broad based and forward thinking, with an important role to play in the development of the modern world, in keeping with its contribution over the last four hundred years.
  • The Irish, when not politically motivated, are amongst the finest people in the world.
  • Those who are dyslexic will continue to increase their influence in society.
  • Artigarvan is a wonderful place in which to spend a childhood.
  • Irish nationalism has been a negative influence on the British Isles.

If we do not understand our history, we will remain forever children.


Reviews:

John Laird’s book is a witty and drôle take on issues of identity in Northern Ireland today. The book is a striking addition to the province’s list of political memoirs. More than that, it shows the original cast of mind of a man who believed above all in the power of the sceptical intellect.
Lord Bew of Donegore
Professor of Politics, Queen’s University Belfast


A spirited and lively new Unionist voice; an Ulster journey.
Dr Austen Morgan
Barrister in London and Belfast


John Laird urges a new self-confidence for Unionism, in the legacy of the Ulster Scot tradition, which he sees as liberalism, rarely acknowledged by either adherents or opponents.
Lord Eames of Armagh
Former Anglican Primate of All Ireland