Orange Order in Belfast and Glasgow, 1910 - 1914

Abstract

This PhD thesis examines the Orange Order in Belfast and Glasgow during the years of the third Home Rule crisis, 1910 to 1914. It argues that Orangeism was a remarkably flexible construction and that during this period the Orange Order adapted to its differing contexts in the two cities. Indeed, Orangeism proved capable of remarkable dynamism in these years, seizing new opportunities brought about by changes in Edwardian society. The thesis examines Orangeism using a range of significant new materials from both the Irish and Scottish Orange Order archives. From the minutes of Orange meetings to the initiation ceremonies and rules of the Orange Order, these resources reveal a wealth of new detail about Orange culture and the distinctive features of Orangeism which have allowed it to survive across the globe for two centuries. In addition, this thesis argues for the existence of a temperate, respectable and religiously devout Orangeism which sat comfortably amidst a context of Edwardian popular conservatism and intense religious belief. This tendency was as much a part of Orangeism in the period as sectarianism or disorderly public conduct. As such, this thesis offers a new interpretation of Orangeism and modifies our understanding of associational cultures and civil society in Ireland and Britain before the First World War.