Distributed for University College Dublin Press
Letters from an Old Orangeman
This book returns to print a long-forgotten series of articles in defense of the Orange Order, a Protestant counterrevolutionary group in Ireland.
In the autumn of 1835, as the Orange Order faced a parliamentary inquiry and the imminent prospect of being banned, an Old Orangeman, signing himself “Montanus,” wrote a series of articles defending the Orange brethren and telling their story. Almost forgotten since their first publication, these articles together form a unique and intelligent view from inside the Order in its first cycle. “Montanus” discusses the Orangemen’s self-organization by the Protestant peasantry of County Armagh in 1795, their struggle against the United Irishmen, dissensions over the Act of Union, feuding with the Catholic nationalist Ribbon Society, extraordinary influence on the government of Ireland, and their last-ditch opposition to Daniel O’Connell’s campaign for Catholic Emancipation.
Old Orangeman was a product of eighteenth-century Enlightened thought and became an eloquent warning voice against the perils of toleration and liberalism. He had been associated with the Order from its birth. He knew both its leading men and their deadly enemies, including Theobald Wolfe Tone. Most striking, perhaps, is Old Orangeman’s carefully argued justification of the Order as a timely and irreplaceable bulwark against the rising tide of democracy and radicalism.
These Letters from an Old Orangeman are not just a personal memoir or a one-sided history, but a carefully argued political treatise on the necessity of mobilizing and organizing the “reactionary democracy” in an age of popular politics. Their republication now is an important contribution not only to the history of sectarian discord in Ulster and Ireland. It supplies an important source for the study of popular conservatism and the psychology of counter-revolution in the United Kingdom and beyond.
“Montanus” feared that he, who had “rocked the cradle” of the Institution, might now be fated to “follow its hearse.” His letters instead provide an unrivalled insight into one of Ireland’s most tenacious and consequential survivals.
In the autumn of 1835, as the Orange Order faced a parliamentary inquiry and the imminent prospect of being banned, an Old Orangeman, signing himself “Montanus,” wrote a series of articles defending the Orange brethren and telling their story. Almost forgotten since their first publication, these articles together form a unique and intelligent view from inside the Order in its first cycle. “Montanus” discusses the Orangemen’s self-organization by the Protestant peasantry of County Armagh in 1795, their struggle against the United Irishmen, dissensions over the Act of Union, feuding with the Catholic nationalist Ribbon Society, extraordinary influence on the government of Ireland, and their last-ditch opposition to Daniel O’Connell’s campaign for Catholic Emancipation.
Old Orangeman was a product of eighteenth-century Enlightened thought and became an eloquent warning voice against the perils of toleration and liberalism. He had been associated with the Order from its birth. He knew both its leading men and their deadly enemies, including Theobald Wolfe Tone. Most striking, perhaps, is Old Orangeman’s carefully argued justification of the Order as a timely and irreplaceable bulwark against the rising tide of democracy and radicalism.
These Letters from an Old Orangeman are not just a personal memoir or a one-sided history, but a carefully argued political treatise on the necessity of mobilizing and organizing the “reactionary democracy” in an age of popular politics. Their republication now is an important contribution not only to the history of sectarian discord in Ulster and Ireland. It supplies an important source for the study of popular conservatism and the psychology of counter-revolution in the United Kingdom and beyond.
“Montanus” feared that he, who had “rocked the cradle” of the Institution, might now be fated to “follow its hearse.” His letters instead provide an unrivalled insight into one of Ireland’s most tenacious and consequential survivals.
Table of Contents
1. An introductory essay discusses the period covered bvy the main text: from the
1790s the 1830s. Though the Orange Order was formally dissolved in 1836, the
introduction explain its recovery in the 1840s and again in the 1870s, and its
prominence to the present. The particular interest of ‘Old Orangeman’s analysis is
be brought out.
2. DUM’s editorial introduction, including comments on the Battle of the Diamond.
3. The ‘First Letter’ argues that the Orange Order was crucial in preserving peace
and order during times of upheaval, specifically against the revolutionary forces
inspired by the French Revolution, which threatened to destabilize Ireland in the
late 18th century. The author delves into the political and religious tensions between
Protestants and Catholics in Ireland, highlighting how Protestant communities
organized the Orange Institution in response to threats from Catholics and
revolutionary movements. While the letter criticises both Grattan and Wolfe Tone
as misguided and harmful, there is an interesting degree of sympathy with them as
idealists. “Wolfe Tone was a man of spirit and humanity. He possessed the
enthusiasm of a poet, and the enterprise and the valour of a soldier.” Old
Orangeman had been a supporter of Grattan’s ‘Patriot’ tendency at the time of the
1782 Revolution.
4. The ‘Second Letter’ discusses the role of the Orange order in de-radicalising Ulster
in the aftermath of the 1798 Rebellion. The North, once a hotbed of rebellion, was
now one of the most tranquil areas in Ireland. Violence, he insisted, typically comes
from Catholic aggressors rather than the Protestants involved in the processions.
The author also discusses the exclusion of Catholics from the Orange Institution,
explaining that it was necessary due to the historical and religious differences
between the two groups and the Catholic Church’s intolerance towards Protestants.
The letter expresses concern about ongoing parliamentary inquiries into the
institution, warning that dismantling the Orange Society would leave Protestants
defenseless and potentially lead to widespread violence or even a massacre in the
event of a rebellion. The letter emphasizes that the Orange Institution had been,
and continued to be, essential for maintaining peace and British influence in
Ireland.
5. The ‘Third Letter’ argues that in moments of national crisis, such as during the
1798 rebellion or the failed 1803 uprising, the Orangemen were crucial in
preserving loyalty to the British Crown. The Orangemen’s role in resisting
agitation and violence, particularly in Ulster, is presented as a stabilizing force that
helped prevent greater bloodshed. The Order as a model for counter-revolutionary
mass-mobilisation is defended in light of Conservative suspicion of democratizing
tendencies. The Order overcomes the ‘natural’ radicalism of the masses by
fostering a sense of solidarity and strength behind ideals. The writer calls for
continued support of the Orange Institution as an essential force for defending
Protestantism, loyalty to the British Crown, and social order in Ireland. The letter
3
ends with a hopeful message that Orangemen, through patience and adherence to
their principles, will ultimately triumph over their enemies.
6. DUM’s editorial conclusion, mildly taking issue with ‘Old Orangeman’s defence of
‘populism’.
1790s the 1830s. Though the Orange Order was formally dissolved in 1836, the
introduction explain its recovery in the 1840s and again in the 1870s, and its
prominence to the present. The particular interest of ‘Old Orangeman’s analysis is
be brought out.
2. DUM’s editorial introduction, including comments on the Battle of the Diamond.
3. The ‘First Letter’ argues that the Orange Order was crucial in preserving peace
and order during times of upheaval, specifically against the revolutionary forces
inspired by the French Revolution, which threatened to destabilize Ireland in the
late 18th century. The author delves into the political and religious tensions between
Protestants and Catholics in Ireland, highlighting how Protestant communities
organized the Orange Institution in response to threats from Catholics and
revolutionary movements. While the letter criticises both Grattan and Wolfe Tone
as misguided and harmful, there is an interesting degree of sympathy with them as
idealists. “Wolfe Tone was a man of spirit and humanity. He possessed the
enthusiasm of a poet, and the enterprise and the valour of a soldier.” Old
Orangeman had been a supporter of Grattan’s ‘Patriot’ tendency at the time of the
1782 Revolution.
4. The ‘Second Letter’ discusses the role of the Orange order in de-radicalising Ulster
in the aftermath of the 1798 Rebellion. The North, once a hotbed of rebellion, was
now one of the most tranquil areas in Ireland. Violence, he insisted, typically comes
from Catholic aggressors rather than the Protestants involved in the processions.
The author also discusses the exclusion of Catholics from the Orange Institution,
explaining that it was necessary due to the historical and religious differences
between the two groups and the Catholic Church’s intolerance towards Protestants.
The letter expresses concern about ongoing parliamentary inquiries into the
institution, warning that dismantling the Orange Society would leave Protestants
defenseless and potentially lead to widespread violence or even a massacre in the
event of a rebellion. The letter emphasizes that the Orange Institution had been,
and continued to be, essential for maintaining peace and British influence in
Ireland.
5. The ‘Third Letter’ argues that in moments of national crisis, such as during the
1798 rebellion or the failed 1803 uprising, the Orangemen were crucial in
preserving loyalty to the British Crown. The Orangemen’s role in resisting
agitation and violence, particularly in Ulster, is presented as a stabilizing force that
helped prevent greater bloodshed. The Order as a model for counter-revolutionary
mass-mobilisation is defended in light of Conservative suspicion of democratizing
tendencies. The Order overcomes the ‘natural’ radicalism of the masses by
fostering a sense of solidarity and strength behind ideals. The writer calls for
continued support of the Orange Institution as an essential force for defending
Protestantism, loyalty to the British Crown, and social order in Ireland. The letter
3
ends with a hopeful message that Orangemen, through patience and adherence to
their principles, will ultimately triumph over their enemies.
6. DUM’s editorial conclusion, mildly taking issue with ‘Old Orangeman’s defence of
‘populism’.