Irish Government Grant Aids Orange Order

The Dublin government has announced grants worth €250,000 to help fund the Orange Order in the border counties.

A company set up by Orange lodges in Cavan, Monaghan, Leitrim and Donegal, Cadolemo Ltd, will receive the money over the next two years. The cash will support a development officer in catering for the needs of the Orange lodges and other groups that meet in Orange halls.

Irish Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív, has revealed the funding will be allocated to Cadolemo Ltd, to support a development officer in catering for the needs of the lodges and groups that meet in their halls in the four counties.

The development officer will provide support, training and mentoring in relation to capacity building and community development, and facilitate the securing of funding for the repair and refurbishment of Orange hall facilities.

Minister Ó Cuív said: “A number of Orange halls in rural areas have been attacked in recent times, activities I totally deplore, so I am delighted to be in a position to provide funding which will be focused, among other things, on developing those facilities for the various groups that use them”.

He expressed the hope that the work of Cadolemo Ltd and its development officer will also help to strengthen the confidence of the groups that use Orange halls and encourage higher levels of participation by them in the wider community structures in the border counties.

Drew Nelson, Grand Secretary of the Orange Order, welcomed the funding. He said: "The Orange Institution has been lobbying the government of the Republic of Ireland for three years about a number of issues.

"One of these was the lack of funding for Orange halls. We now welcome the fact that the government of the Republic of Ireland is beginning to address the issue and we welcome the funding."

(BMcC)