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Tens of thousands of Northern Ireland Protestants Hold Annual March

by Barry Artiste | July 12, 2007 at 06:11 am

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Opinion
Barry Artiste, Now Public Contributor

For many Irish Catholics "The Orange Order Celebrations" are a sore sticking point in a sea of green.

For a people of Orange to be so in your face with their "Kick The Pope" attitudes as they march past the devout in their own neighbourhood shows some are so unclear on the concept of Unity and for some who venture into Catholic Neighbourhoods, are likely to get the "Lucky Charms" kicked out of them.

My Final Thought

We Irish and the World celebrate "Saint Patricks Day" , Irish and Non Irish celebrate, hence the Motto, "Everyone is Irish on Saint Patricks Day"! The Orange Men are not as fortunate to have a similar "Motto" in regards to their archaic Celebration.

DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) - Tens of thousands of Protestant hardliners were marching through Belfast and other Northern Ireland communities Thursday in an annual event that used to spark violent clashes with the Catholic minority.

The Orange Order marches each July 12 - an official holiday in Northern Ireland called simply "The Twelfth" - in commemoration of a 1690 victory by the forces of a Protestant king, William of Orange, over the Catholic he ousted from the English throne, James II.

Catholics have long loathed the parades and said they were designed to intimidate them.