It’s been awhile since we updated people as to what is happening in Dublin & Wicklow LOL1313 so it’s about time to get another one of these posts up I think. This has been a very busy year for the lodge on all fronts. Lots of media interest in who we are and what we’re doing and to be honest, it’s all been very positive. This has been something new for us at LOL1313 and since we’ve went online and starting publishing our newsletters and Faith & Liberty Magazine, people are coming forward and giving us the opportunity to tell the country about ourselves and what we stand for. Becoming more public helps us combat some of the misconceptions people have about the Orange Order and Orangemen outside of a Northern Ireland context and helps show people that the Republic of Ireland still has a very vibrant Orange tradition that is woven into the fabric of true Irish society.
The media attention as well as us becoming more pubic has also had a postive effect on membership and the lodge has seen a steady increase in membership and membership enquiries over the last year and a half. The focus now will be to continue that increase in membership and aim to get new lodges opened throughout the country. If you or anyone you know are interested in finding out more about the lodge or joining us then please get in touch. Even if you just want to meet up for a chat initally, you’d be more than welcome. We don’t bite 😉 The Orange tradition has been an integral part of Irish Protestant and Irish life for centuries, it’s one that is constantly reforming itself and constaly evolving thanks to the wide variety of people that make up it’s membership. We have people from all sorts of backgrounds and denominations in LOL1313, and people from as south as Cork to as north as Co. Down as members.
The next plan to is to get the second issue of Faith & Liberty Magazine done and dusted. The last issue was extremely well received by the public, both members and non-memebers and we welcome all feedback – good bad or indifferent. The focus of that magazine is help spread and promote the minority cultural identity in Ireland and give a voice to a minority who’ve been silent for far too long. We do commend everyone who went out of their way to ensure southern Orangemen were represented at Islandbridge when HM Queen Elizabeth visited Dublin recently and we hope the same spirit can continue in the future.
Hmmm…what else? LOL 1313 had a very successful day out in Rossnowlagh this year joined by thousands of friends and supporters. We’d highly recommend this parade to anyone who’d like to attend an Orange parade to see what it’s all about. The atmosphere is relaxed and if the weather is good, it’s one of the finest Orange parades on the island. I was dissapointed though at how small coverage this parade gets in the Irish media. This is an annual event with 13,000 people in attendance but it warrants just a 20sec news clip at the end of RTE News? Maybe next year? It’s also disappointing that again both RTE and the BBC never mentioned Dublin when relaying which counties were represented at Rossnowlagh.
The Annual Reformation Service will be held again this year on the 31st of October, but more details as they are sorted out. Again, this is open to the public, so feel free to come along and bring a friend with you. This new lodge year, from Sept onwards is setting itelf up to be a very busy one with a few new ideas to be developed and I’ll keep you posted.
Dublin & Wicklow LOL1313
