July 1999

This book narrates the tempestuous tale of this historic movement which has been instrumental in shaping the history of Ireland for over 300 years. It is a comphrensive study of the followers of William of Orange. Originating in a tiny medievel principality in the south of France, the House of Orange became the upholder of the Protestant cause in Europe. William of Orange, the most famous of his line, brought with him the tradition when he instigated Britain's 'Glorious Revolution' of 1688. From there began his influence in Ireland, which kindled a new Irish tradition.

With full descriptions of the battles, sieges and personalities engaed in the struggle, the author even-handedly guides the reader through the events - political, social and bloody - that have shaped Orangeism to the present day.

In this ground-breaking account - the first to include information on the Orange Order's sister organisations such as the Apprentice Boys of Derry, the Royal Black Preceptory and the Royal Arch Purple Order - the Orange movement is described in vivid detail. Military campaigns and rebellions jostle with political intrigue and infighting; anti-Catholic rhetoric is matched with anti-Orange polemic; and the stage is filled with historic figures.

This book is an absorbing and authoritative historical record. It devles deeper than perceptions of triumphalism and bigotry and examines the issues that led to the birth and continued growth of this unique movement. In this meticulously researched chronicle - the definitive history of the Orange Order - the author probes the Orange phenomenon in vivid detail, shedding light on the impact, struggles and survival of the Order throughout Ireland and beyond and brings the story of Orangeism up to the end of the twentieth century.

Every summer throughout Northern Ireland, tens of thousands of Protestants parade; wearing bowler hats and collarettes and carrying banners with biblical and historical scenes, they are viewed by outsiders as triumphalist bigots lording it over the minority population. However, to the members of the loyal institutions - Apprentice Boys, Orange Order and Royal Black Preceptory - they are merely commemorating the courage and their forefathers, proudly celebrating hard-won civil and religious freedoms, demonstrating their loyalty to God and the Crown and having an enjoyable day out with their familiies and friends.

During the last five years, organised opposition to these parades has led to violent confrontations: hundreds of journalists and camermen from around the world arrive at flashpoints like Derry, Drumcree and the Ormeau Road in Belfast to record the violence that could lead to civil war. And almost all outsiders blame the loyal institutions for intrasigence and insensitivity in marching where they are not wanted.

Noted author and historian Ruth Dudley Edwards tell their story for the first time. A veterna of dozens of parades - peaceful and violent - she has developed close friendships within the institutions that have given her a unique insight into what their members do and think and stand for, while her Dublin Roman Catholic background provides a critical vantage point from which to assess them. This book presents the untold account of perhaps the most controversial group of people in the United Kingdom and tell as well of their brethren and sisters abroad, from Africa to the United States.

Hopelessly inept at public relations, the Ulster Protestants stay silent while their heritage and traditions are traduced around the world. In this book, the author gives them their voice. She brings us the people beneath the ceremonial regalia - the farmers and labourers, businessmen and teachers, ministers and pensioners - many of whom 'speak wistfully of the days when their Roman Catholic neighbours would come out and enjoy theparade.' She examines their history, traditions and symbolism, records their fears and their joys, and explains how their parades have so often been the symbolic background of the tribal struggles of Northern Ireland