THE ORANGE Order has announced it is planning to form a new lodge on the banks of the River Boyne in Co Louth – the site of one of the group’s most significant historical events.
The Boyne Loyal Orange Lodge 1690 is to be established on Saturday close to the site where the Williamites and Jacobites engaged in the Battle of the Boyne more than 300 years ago.
According to the order, the primary aim of the new lodge, which is where members of the order meet, will be to rebuild a massive obelisk which was erected to commemorate the battle between Catholic King James II and William of Orange.
The original obelisk stood some 170ft tall and could be seen for miles around. It was erected in 1736, and dedicated to those who died at the Battle of the Boyne. However, the obelisk was blown up in 1923, allegedly using dynamite removed from an Irish Army camp.
The lodge is to be established on a piece of land known as “the grassy slopes”, a four-acre site on the northern side of the river which was used by William of Orange’s army to observe the Jacobite forces before the battle.
A cross-Border body called the Boyne Foundation purchased the site, and it will work with the Orange Order to rebuild the Boyne obelisk.
“The Boyne is hallowed ground as far as the Orange Order is concerned,” said deputy master elect of the new lodge, Jack Leetch.
“We are delighted that we have been able to form a lodge which is literally based on the river bank.
“We really think it will enhance the tourist potential in the area, and we have been heartened by the local reaction.”
Mr Leetch said the development was likely to “cost a lot of money” but the Orange Order and the Boyne Foundation were “determined to succeed” with the project.
The Orange Order said it is had been working with authorities in the Drogheda area to organise a short event on Saturday to commemorate the historic occasion.
The lodge has a “limited purpose”, meaning its members cannot parade in the area.
There are only three other lodges of its kind across Ireland. These are the Lodge of Research, Queen’s Lodge and the Thiepval Memorial Lodge.
Robert Saulters, grand master of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, said the Government’s development of the Boyne battlefield had been “an important recognition of the Protestant and Orange tradition” in Ireland.
“Tourists from all over the world are flocking to the site. Now that the Orange Order owns a small piece of land on the other side of the river, I believe that anything we do there will supplement all the good work already carried out.”
