Catholic and Protestant Identity & The Orange Order

Catholic/Nationalist Identity

• Under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, the partition of Ireland left a large Catholic minority—about one-third of the population—living in the new Northern Ireland. They identified themselves as Irish and supported the nationalist goal of a unified Ireland.
• However, they faced ongoing discrimination under the Unionist government, which created widespread inequality and discouraged the integration (combining) of the North's two communities.
• Partition cut Northern Ireland's nationalists off from their geographical and historical heartland. In the western part of Ulster, where Catholics were more numerous, they were further from the sectarian tensions that permeated life in areas of the northeast.
• There were some cross-border ties to nearby Donegal, Cavan, and Monaghan. Still, the failure of successive Irish governments to end partition meant that many Northern Irish Catholics became ambivalent towards the South over time. Hemmed in by unionism and the border, the nationalist community also became quite insular.
• Once the Troubles began in 1969, the division between the two communities intensified. Catholics turned to their unique Irish identity, which was based on the traditions, customs, and culture of the island as a whole and the Catholic faith.

• Catholics used their faith as a mark of identity, much like Protestants, and Mass attendance was high. Nationalist children went to Catholic schools, where they learned the Irish language and traditional Irish music and dance.
• In 1960, there were so many Irish speakers in Belfast that the city had its own informal Gaeltacht. Many nationalists expressed their identity through Gaelic football and hurling. The GAA strengthened Northern links with the South as teams met in championship matches.

• Nationalists also celebrated Catholic holidays such as St Patrick's Day, and some were members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish Catholic fraternal organisation similar to but less prominent than the Unionists' Orange Order.
• Catholics' expression of their cultural identity was sometimes met with intolerance, as unionists believed that nationalist culture undermined the North's Britishness.
• An example of this intolerance was the Flags and Emblems Act 1954, which allowed the authorities to remove nationalist symbols and flags, including the Irish tricolour, if they received objections from members of the unionist community.

Protestant/Unionist Identity

• The Protestant Unionist community saw themselves as both Irish and British. Despite this dual character, they used British symbols such as the Union flag to demonstrate their identity and differentiate themselves from Northern Irish nationalists.

• The Protestant faiths also played a significant part in shaping the Unionist identity. Having historically suffered from persecution at the hands of the Catholic Church and European monarchs following the Reformation, many Protestants, particularly Presbyterians, had strong anti-Papist views.

• Over the centuries, Protestants developed a reputation for being hard-working and honest. This culture, as much as any natural resource, contributed to the North's prowess in business, engineering, and industry. Protestants often saw Catholics as lazy and, after partition, looked on the South as poor and backward.

  
  • Their strict adherence to the Bible also meant that many staunch Protestants, such as Methodists, refused to take part in gambling and other vices. They adhered strictly to the Sabbath and did not participate in sporting activities or dances on Sundays.

The Orange Order

• The most important unionist organisation in Northern Ireland is the Loyal Orange Institution, more commonly known as the Orange Order.
• This is a male Protestant society originally established in 1795 to defend Protestant religious and civil liberties.
• It traditionally holds parades and marches to mark key events in Protestant history, most notably on 12 July, to commemorate the Protestant King William of Orange's victory over the Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.
• The Orange Order takes its name from William of Orange. Members of the Order are referred to as Orangemen. They meet in lodges, which are located in most towns and cities throughout Northern Ireland.
• Membership is made up of Protestant men from all classes, a fact which helped to unite Protestants in the North.
• An overwhelming majority of Unionist Party members are also members of the Orange Order. The Order nominated members of the party's executive council, and no man could hope to become Prime Minister if he was not an Orangeman.
• The Orange Order is often associated with Ulster loyalism, and in the past Orangemen served in the UVF and other loyalist associations. Groups affiliated with the Orange Order include the Apprentice Boys of Derry and the Royal Black Institution. These three groups are known collectively as Loyal Orders, whose loyalty is to the British monarch.
• Following partition, the unionist community felt threatened by the large Catholic minority within Northern Ireland and the broader nationalist community in the South.
• Unionists themselves were a minority in Ireland as a whole. Due to the 'siege mentality' they developed, unionists became quite hostile to any expression of nationalism. In fact, opposition to nationalism was one of the key elements shaping Northern unionists' identity.

• This identity was heavily influenced by Northern Protestants' history, going back to the founding of the Ulster Plantation in 1609.
• One of the most important events in their tradition was the Siege of Derry, 1688–1689, which was commemorated annually by the Apprentice Boys of Derry, an important group that make up the final case study that will be discussed in the next set of notes.