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The Keane Edge by Brendan Patrick Keane

Orange Irish seek hero to rebrand their identity for the modern world

Posted on Saturday, July 10, 2010 at 01:21 PM

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There's no shortage of heroes in Irish history and mythology, some real and indeed some re-imagined through green spectacles, or on July 12th, through orange ones.

Saint Patrick's Day is shared by both the Green and Orange traditions, but July 12th is where green and orange part ways a bit.

The Orange Irish hold big parades all over Ireland on that day to commemorate the victory of William over James in the Glorious Revolution, and the creation of a Protestant Ascendancy apartheid state in Ireland. South Africa used to have holidays like this.

To make the holiday relevant to young people, the Orange Order has sought to rebrand it, give it a new mascot, including a cartoon super hero to make the day more normal and iconic like other holidays.

That's when Diamond Dan the Orangeman was born. The Orange Order created the cartoon super hero to promote good loyalist values in 2008 by ripping off the work of illustrator Dan Bailey. It seems Diamond Dan is really Bailey's "Super Guy" character taken without permission--an apt metaphor for plantation.

Incidentally, the Orange Order was founded in response to the United Irishmen, both were Orange Irish groups founded with very different aims around the time of the US Declaration of Indepedence. The United Irishmen hoped to do in Ireland what the Orange Irish in America were doing, fighting for a Republic. Orange Irish heroes abound in the histories of the Revolutionary War in America and in the Irish Revolution of 1798 which sought freedom from the taxing kingdom--a proud Orange heroic tradition.

Keep in touch with Brendan's work at GaelicGotham.com.

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maloney | Jul 16, 2011, 09:01 PM EDT

Welcome back Brendan.

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Watereskhill | Jul 14, 2010, 04:31 AM EDT

Citzen69. I am not familiar with a 'St.Patrick saltire flag' and wonder as to it's components flown over many Orange lodges on Paddy's Day as you report. Are you speaking of Melbourne Australia or other locale? I have not witnessed such a pendant in Loyalist Ulster. Only spits and slurs on the way to Mass on the Saint's Feast Day.

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HobNail | Jul 13, 2010, 10:16 PM EDT

It need not. You're boring.

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WoundedKnee | Jul 13, 2010, 07:46 PM EDT

Hobnail: There appears to be no limit to your inanities. There's nothing complicated about "Orange". You say it is a "complicated identity". Baloney--Orange simply refers to people who wish to preserve the Union with Britain. What part of that is so hard to understand? Mitchel, Casement, McCracken etc. -- all wanted "to break the connection with England, the never-failing source of all our ills". But you think they were Orangemen????? I guess you won't recognize that quote--it's TW Tone. Next I suppose you'll call Tone a Dubin Orangeman. You're capable of any claptrap.

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HobNail | Jul 13, 2010, 10:16 AM EDT

No, WoundedKnee, now I see you're mistake. You think Republicans are represented by the Green. No. Republicans are represented by the Green-White-Orange. Gaels are represented by the Green, or Catholics or however you wish to interpret Article 7 of Bunreacht. Orange is open to interpretation. Just as "Protestant" might be hoisted upon non-Protestants to short-hand loyalist or what have you, Orange can, and is, used to summarize a complicated identity that is continually in flux, and so the word must not get static like your thinking WoundedOne.

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WoundedKnee | Jul 13, 2010, 07:39 AM EDT

Hobnail--:"Poets are trying to break the restrictions of language" ---- Just like you, it seems! You're attempting not just the illogical, but the impossible. You are telling us that generations of republicans such as Orr, Munroe, McCracken, Mitchel, Casement etc. etc. were actually closet Orangemen all the time!

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HobNail | Jul 12, 2010, 09:02 PM EDT

WoundedKnee likes to insult. Tom Paulin the poet is really the one who does this conflation the best. You use the word "Protestant" like you accuse me of using "orange." The term is short-hand. Orange is good short-hand based on the Irish constitution which seeks to unite two traditions: green and orange, not Catholic and Protestant or whatever anachronistic dialectic you prefer--most people aren't religious anymore, and their traditions are better summed up by a vague color. The constitution does not get too specific about what those traditions are, and in that there is opporunity. If you want to pretend that the tri-color means green, white and the orange order, go right ahead. Poets are trying to break the restrictions of language.

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WoundedKnee | Jul 12, 2010, 08:51 PM EDT

Hobnail's silly error appears to have been to conflate Orange with Protestant. He is ignorant of the fact that they are two utterly different concepts, and in many cases were opposed. Hobnail, before posting tripe, read Jail Journal, by the Protestant John Mitchel. According to your silly misunderstanding of history, Mitchel was Orange. Read his book--you'll see what he thought of the so-called Orange tradition.

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HobNail | Jul 12, 2010, 02:41 PM EDT

Can't let the Orange Order define "orange" identity.

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citizen69 | Jul 12, 2010, 01:54 PM EDT

@ Watereskhill: Actually many protestants celebrate st. Patrick's day and many orange lodges fly st.patrick saltire flags outside their lodge on St. paddy's day.

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citizen69 | Jul 12, 2010, 01:49 PM EDT

I think what Hobnail is saying is that the orange in the tricolour doesn't represent the Orange Order per se but represents all Irish protestants, which are associated with the colour orange, particularly when the flag was created in 1843.

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HobNail | Jul 12, 2010, 01:33 PM EDT

Article 7 The national flag is the tricolour of green, white and orange.

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WoundedKnee | Jul 12, 2010, 12:18 PM EDT

Hobnail says "the Irish Constitution's non-definition of orange is what I'm talking about." -0-0-0-0-0-0-0- I'm confused. In what article of the Irish Constitution is "orange" not defined? Come to think of it, in what article of the Irish Constitution is it defined? I haven't a clue what you're talking about. That makes two of us.

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mylesie | Jul 12, 2010, 12:04 PM EDT

Trouble is - since King Billy came out the "jaffa's" have been searching for a new messiah. ps what's new about them nicking an idea or two?

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Padraig | Jul 12, 2010, 06:00 AM EDT

Honestly, this is the single worst article to appear on this webpage. Well, it gets attention the way Paris Hilton does; by being utterly useless to the Human race. I honestly don't like writing negative things and prefer to stay out of blog nonsense, but I would prefer to have the minute of my life back.

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