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05/06/2026

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐢𝐭𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐖𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝟏𝟔𝟖𝟖 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝'𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐲𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲 ⛓

I speak [against popery], urged by love of our native land, by unfeigned devotion to the cause of liberty, civil and religious, and by a supreme desire for the preservation of the gospel, in all its purity, in a country which, above most, it has illumined with its light and enriched with its blessings.

You, the people of Scotland, have ever occupied a conspicuous position in the battle of the Reformation. You wore more purely reformed at the first than any other people. You pledged yourselves to this cause by solemn oath and covenant; you endured in its behalf a long and bloody persecution.

In days of darkness you struggled against arbitrary power; and your contendings largely aided in achieving the Revolution of 1688. I know that the heroic spirit which of yore spurned “papistry and tyranny” from our borders, still lives amongst you; and I am confident that, in the crisis that has again arisen, you will act a part worthy of the confessors and martyrs, your ancestors, and of your own hereditary relation to a cause which is nothing less than that of the maintenance of the gospel and of liberty in our country.

James Aitken Wylie, Rome and Civil Liberty: or, The Papal Aggression in relation to the Sovereignty of the Queen and the Independence of the Nation (Edinburgh: Andrew Elliot, 1865), iv.

05/06/2026

Congratulations to Brother Brian Higginson on his appointment as Mayor of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council.

This is a great honour and a well-deserved achievement. As Mayor and First Citizen of the Council area, Brian will take on an important role representing the people of Lisburn and Castlereagh throughout the year ahead.

On behalf of the Worshipful District Master, Deputy District Master, Officers and Brethren of Magheragall District LOL No. 9, we offer our sincere congratulations to Brother Brian Higginson, Lay Chaplain of Low Quarter Volunteers LOL 187, on reaching this distinguished position.

We trust that God will grant Brian wisdom, strength and guidance as he undertakes the duties of his office and serves the wider community. We wish him every blessing and success during his term as Mayor.

Congratulations, Brother Brian, and best wishes for a rewarding and memorable year in office.

05/06/2026

One of the best nights of the year, the Lurgan 'Mini 12th' will take place on Friday 3rd July this year, leaving Brownlow House at 7.30pm. Our friends and neighbours from Lower Iveagh will be joining us along with plenty of bands visiting for the evening. There's always a great atmosphere on the town for this and it will be one not to miss so make sure to come along and enjoy the festivities.

05/06/2026

The Officers and Members of County Antrim Grand Orange Lodge extend our very best wishes to the members of Antrim Junior County as they travel to Portrush tomorrow for their annual parade.

We trust that all taking part will enjoy a safe, successful and memorable day of fellowship, friendship and celebration.

We wish the organisers, participants and supporters every success and look forward to joining them on the North Coast for what promises to be a wonderful day.

Have a great day in Portrush and safe travels to all.

🟠🟣IT’S ABOUT FAMILY🟣🟠

05/06/2026

This Black Preceptory parade appears to have come up Springwell Street and turned right along Ballymoney Street. We’re guessing early 1950s.

04/06/2026

04/06/2026

Battle of the Somme Presentation

Clough’s Chosen Few JLOL 124 are delighted to host an evening with historian Quincey Dougan on Thursday 18th June at 7.30pm in Clough Orange Hall.

The presentation will explore the formation of the Ulster Volunteer Force, the creation of the 36th (Ulster) Division, and their role in the Battle of the Somme, one of the most significant chapters in our history.

This promises to be an informative and thought provoking evening, and everyone is welcome to attend.

Donations in support of Clough’s Chosen Few Junior Lodge would be greatly appreciated.

We look forward to seeing you there.

04/06/2026

Can a doctrine intended to defend Christianity actually undermine the evidence for Christianity itself? In The Ruin of Christian Proofs by Transubstantiation, Jean La Placette presents a powerful and thought-provoking critique of transubstantiation, arguing that if the testimony of the senses cannot be trusted in the Eucharist, then the historical foundations of the Christian faith are placed in jeopardy. Combining theological conviction with philosophical insight, this classic Huguenot work offers a compelling defense of biblical Christianity and the reliability of Christian evidence.

About the Author: Jean La Placette (1639–1718) was a French Reformed pastor, theologian, and Huguenot exile whose writings combined pastoral wisdom with careful theological reasoning. He is remembered for his devotional works, studies on conscience and Christian living, and thoughtful defenses of the Protestant faith.

https://tinyurl.com/44v4cken

04/06/2026

🟠🟣 𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥 𝐀𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐎𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 🔵🟠

Speaking in Dublin in 1896, Bro. Paul Askin, a latecomer to the Orange Institution, expressed his desire that every Orangeman would not only bear the name of a Protestant, but would be a true and practising Christian. As an organisation for Protestant Constitutionalism, it is unrealistic to expect every member to be a true believer. It is, however, a great aspiration to desire that every Orangeman truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ that they may be saved. A desire, moreover, that we should have for all people, everywhere.

[W]ould that everyone who bears the honoured name of ORANGEMAN was not merely a professing Protestant, but a true Christian in every sense of the word. Would that we all not merely loved, but lived our principles! How vastly would our influence for good, as a body, be increased! Then indeed would ORANGEISM be a power in this old land of ours! Let us each and all, brethren, in our several spheres, do what we can towards bringing about such a blessed and happy state of things.

Paul Askin, Orangeism: what it is, and what it is not. A lecture delivered in the Orange Hall, Rutland Square, Dublin, on Thursday evening, the 23rd of April, 1896 (Dublin: Church of Ireland Printing and Publishing Co, 1896), p. 9.

03/06/2026

🏰 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 🚓

Speaking in the aftermath of the Belfast Riots of 1886, William Johnston of Ballykilbeg reminded the House of Commons that there were instances of unjustified police violence against Protestants. Johnston’s point reminds us that while we may defend the police and the military as institutions, we are not required to defend them whenever their actions were outright wrong or disproportionate. His comments also remind us that these institutions may be discredited by the actions of bad actors:

He declared his conviction that a conspiracy was entered into to degrade Belfast in the estimation of the Empire and the inhabitants of the civilized world. Some of its citizens had been provoked, and outrage and wrong had been done; the Constabulary, in many instances, breaking loose from their officers, and, disobeying orders, fired shot after shot upon peaceable and unoffending citizens. A young scholar, going home from Sunday-school, by streets in which he thought he was not likely to be attacked, was singled out and shot dead with the Bible in his hand. Was it to be wondered at that, in these circumstances, the Protestants of Belfast lost confidence in the Constabulary?

He had seen a letter from a constable, in which the writer said that, after a certain transaction which took place in the town, he was ashamed to go about in a constable's uniform and look civilians in the face; and he (Mr. Johnston) was informed that on one occasion, when the Royal Irish Constabulary were about to fire on a peaceable crowd of persons, an officer in command of a portion of Her Majesty's troops—a portion of a Highland regiment—told the Constabulary that if they fired in the direction in which it seemed they intended to fire, the troops would fire upon them.

Hansard 3, HC, vol. 308, cols 207-08 (20 August 1886).