Reservoir Dogs & Acronyms

The Orange Order is the latest addition to the list of things TPQ's resident iconoclast Sean Mallory doesn't have a high opinion of.

It was with great consternation, surprise and astonishment that the Orange Order received the news that it contained a “reservoir of anti-Catholicism and sectarianism."

A comment made by the Rev Ken Newell in an interview, and one wholly supported by Irish News columnist Fionnuala O’ Connor in her remark: "Essentially, it is a sectarian organisation and I don't see how it can ever be anything less."

Jeffrey Donaldson, supported by Tom Elliot, reacting to the good Reverend's observance, dismissed it as being out-dated and unfair and that the Orange Order is where it is at today by its involvement in many educational and cultural exchanges. He concluded that the good Reverend was out of touch by his absence away from it all for a few years and the Orange Order had a “long-standing outreach with Catholics”, especially on 11th night bonfires!

To emphasise how far the Order had reached, Wallace Thompson, a prominent Orange man, called on Orange men to stop using the term RIP as it was a form of superstition connected to Catholicism. Other frowned upon terms and activities are Derry, Jaysus Christ, having a pint on Sunday while watching football, North of Ireland, and ‘H’ instead of ‘Aitch’

Unlike the good Reverend, Ms O’Connor was referred to as being “so bitter” for her remark by David McNarry, a member of the Orange Order for 40 years and who claimed: "I have never known or experienced sectarianism in it. That's a personal experience. It just doesn't arise. It just doesn't happen."

David did fail to point out that the reason he never experienced sectarianism ‘in it’ was because there were no Catholics ‘in it’.

Other people who had issues with acronyms was potential future GAA president, Jarleth Burns and homophobe Jim Wells of the DUP.

Burns already well known for his outreach and many educational and cultural exchanges with the Order and Unionism and particularly for his view that the tricolour and in future the Irish National anthem should be removed from GAA matches, expressed his deep gratitude to his mum who helped steer him away from the IRA and towards the GAA.

Burns along with his mates faced the two choices when growing up in South Armagh and the two acronyms that if mixed up could have seen Jarleth take a career curve ball.

Whereas, Wells has cut the National Trust out of his will after showing their support for LGBT rights. Wells, a ‘devout’ Christian stated that the Trust “would be very wise to keep out of controversial social issues which has little or anything to do with its main objectives”....just as he and his devoutly anti-Catholic Caleb Society thought it very wise to influence the Trust in its public representation of how the Giant's Causeway was formed when they demanded that their religious view be visibly expressed alongside the scientific perspective.

Away from the green fields of Orangeism and unpalatable statements, Alex Kane, Irish News - 28/07/2017 – and a person with his finger usually on the pulse of current political affairs, writing on the stalemate at Stormont declared that the peace process is well and truly dead and so is power-sharing. The alternative according to Alex is very bleak. Which leaves the reader to ponder life under Theresa and Arlene, who also happens to be an Orange member!

And lastly, we would like to emphasise that no Catholics were harmed in the making of this blog!

1 comment:

  1. In fairness the Orange Order does go out of its way to reach out to Catholics - they go all the way out of their own areas and right into Catholic ones every marching season.

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