Orange Order is a Protestant organization in Northern Ireland. It seeks to keep Protestants in power in the country and to maintain Northern Ireland’s union with Britain. The Orange Order was founded in 1795 by Anglican Protestant farmers in County Armagh, Ireland, in what is now the southern part of Northern Ireland. It grew out of a conflict between Protestant and Roman Catholic farmers who were bidding to become tenants on the same farmlands. The Protestant farmers joined together to drive Catholic families out of the region.
The organization was named for William of Orange. William was the Protestant leader of the Netherlands who, in 1688, helped overthrow James II, the Catholic king of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
The Orange Order of Northern Ireland is organized into units called lodges. The members, called Orangemen, parade through Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods during the “marching season,” lasting from spring to early fall. They sing and carry banners to celebrate past Protestant victories over Catholics.
