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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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.maloney | Jul 16, 2011, 09:01 PM EDT
Welcome back Brendan.
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.
HobNail | Jul 13, 2010, 10:16 PM EDT
It need not. You're boring.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
HobNail | Jul 12, 2010, 02:41 PM EDT
Can't let the Orange Order define "orange" identity.
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.
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.
HobNail | Jul 12, 2010, 01:33 PM EDT
Article 7 The national flag is the tricolour of green, white and orange.
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.
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?
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.
Southernpride | Jul 11, 2010, 08:57 PM EDT
The good news is that the Scots-irish Presbyterians in Northern ireland make excellent slaves to their Anglo-Saxon masters. Most English families own one as a slave
HobNail | Jul 11, 2010, 08:11 PM EDT
GeorgeDillon: the Irish Constitution's non-definition of orange is what I'm talking about. You're being a strict stickler in trying to tie orange to the Orange Order. That's stupid, and it's sad that you're debate style requires name-calling. Orange in the larger sense is the point you narrow-minded pedant with his little dumb fact.
Nelsonbarry | Jul 11, 2010, 07:43 PM EDT
The orange order won a war 200 years ago. Get over it lads. If you think you are true Irishmen, act like it and stop the yearly marches to antagonize everyone else and look to the future of Ireland, not the past troubles.
GeorgeDillon | Jul 11, 2010, 05:19 PM EDT
Hobnail: "Orange is the blanket term for a whole range of possible traditions, including the United Irish one." Once again, Hobnail I ask you. Stop posting your ignorant nonsense. You know zilch about Irish history. I think it's now a question of bad manners and trolling on your part. Just for any reader that gives credence to this idiot, I will repeat. Henry Joy McCracken and all the other United Irish were not from the Orange tradition. The Orange tradition didn't even exist in 1798, since the Orange Order was only founded in 1795. And it was founded specifically to combat republicans such as Henry Joy, William Orr etc. Many of these republicans were actually murdered by Orangemen. Hobnail, I think that hobnail is in your brain. You know nothing about this topic--be quiet.
LiamDavid | Jul 11, 2010, 03:26 PM EDT
I was never too fond of the orange portion of our flag. I, as do many others equate Orangemen, the orange portion of the flag and all other forms of the orange based organizations as little more than an extension of England, and English infestation of a portion of Ireland. These organizations, along with the whole orange strata should be shipped back to their mongrel section of Britain. It’s bad enough that we Irish are forced to continue the use of their mongrel language, due to their near totally successful attempts at liquidating our Irish language, not to mention people. If this message seems harsh, it’s only so, because of the ugly history that has predicated these feelings in Irishmen.
Watereskhill | Jul 11, 2010, 03:09 PM EDT
One hopes the cartoon 'Daimond Dan the Orangeman' has a vocabulary beyond "Remember 1690! No Surrender! Burn The Pope and The Virgin Mary" Since it is July 11th the huge bonfires in Northern Ireland are prepped and ready for the devisive and bitterly bigoted 'holiday' it is. If the Tricolor flag is inclusive of the traditions orange and green Mr.Keane--why is it too tossed onto the pyre to cheers of derision and spits? Your columns are usually accurate. In this instance there are several errors. The Orange do not subscribe to St.Patrick's Day don 'green glasses' to share the holiday or consider themselves 'Irish'. I grew up in Northern Ireland. Most of my family still live there. This time of year is fragile. Particularly 'The Twelfth of July' These parades are not old men in a Lodge. There is a generation with flutes flags and drums for whom King William on his high horse is no jovial neighbourly Dan. And remains so. Apartheid was alive and well in Ulster. Thank God for those who have walked away from it enjoy U2 Concerts and say 'screw it'.
borninbelfast | Jul 11, 2010, 01:31 PM EDT
as a belfast man ,now living in the usa,i can tell you the orange order is a bunch of bigot's,their hatred of catholic's is well documemted in history,us catholic's in the north know all to well about their discrimation of us,they never excepted ireland ,but they sure held onto the land and homes they stole from us ,if the love england so much they should go home to their root's.
HobNail | Jul 11, 2010, 01:28 PM EDT
GeorgeDillon: exactly, "in response" combat. In other words, there were two organizations competing for the Orange Irish, the Orange Order and the United Irishmen. The Orange tradition is not the Orange Order, and it is a blanket term to describe the experience of planters--the Dutch associations with William are not the point, Orange is the blanket term for a whole range of possible traditions, including the United Irish one.
Ms.Gail | Jul 11, 2010, 01:03 PM EDT
georgedillon can you suggest a simple introductry text?
GeorgeDillon | Jul 11, 2010, 11:43 AM EDT
Hobnail: You show complete ignorance of the history of 18th century Ireland. You say that "United Irishmen come from what can be called the Orange tradition". That's utter garbage. The Orange order was only founded in 1795, and it was specifically set up to COMBAT the United Irishmen. And among those who fought against Henry Joy's republican army at the Battle of Antrim were contingents of Orange militias. Please, read up on Irish history before commenting on it.
joanmoody | Jul 11, 2010, 11:35 AM EDT
Actually we had an orangeman march with us in our parade in San Antonio, Texas this year with a sash and no one here knew what it meant except for a few and they were happy to se it. I guess we are more tolerant.
Bushothehill | Jul 11, 2010, 11:21 AM EDT
What a lot of balderdash---orangemen celebrating St. Patrick's Day never happened when I was growing up in North Ireland. Perhaps in today's modern world the BilliyBoys took heed of Ian's aspirational leadership, to wit: We have to take back St. Patrick from the men in trench coats and the armalites over their shoulders who hi-jacked him for the profiteering papists of the Vatican.
pounder | Jul 11, 2010, 10:13 AM EDT
Orange you glad this will never happen.
HobNail | Jul 11, 2010, 04:32 AM EDT
It is total garbage to understand the "Orange tradition" which is what the orange in the flag means with the "Orange Order" which is just an old man's lodge. The tri-color unites the Orange people and the Green people, the Gaels, the Presbyters, the whole big mess of Irish. McCracken is a great Orange hero of those principles. United Irishmen come from what can be called the Orange tradition, inclusive of a Republican tradition of which McCracken was a hero.
WoundedKnee | Jul 10, 2010, 08:14 PM EDT
Why is there a picture of Henry Joy McCracken accompanying an article on Orangemen? And what is this nonsense "the Orange Order was founded in response to the United Irishmen, both were Orange Irish groups..." Keane, that's garbage.