Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WE DON’T WANT YOU MARY LOU
AFTER GAA SAYS ‘COME ON ARLENE..’ Orange Order rejects call to invite Sinn Fein president to the Twelfth
SINN Fein’s president won’t be invited to the Twelfth – because it would be “an insult” to dead Orangemen.
The Order’s defiance yesterday came after Mary Lou Mcdonald had revealed she was open to attending the annual July 12 parades.
Around 300 Orangemen and women were killed during the Troubles.
But an Order spokesman said: “Such an invitation would insult the memory of our murdered members and bring further hurt and distress to many families.”
THE Orange Order has rejected a call to invite Mary Lou Mcdonald to the Twelfth saying it would “insult the memory of our murdered members”.
The institution issued a brief statement in the wake of the Sinn Fein president saying she would go to next month’s celebrations
“if she was invited”.
But the Order was adamant no such welcome will be forthcoming.
It said: “All our demonstrations are public and anyone is free to attend them. However, the Orange Institution will not be issuing a specific invitation to the Sinn Fein president to attend any of our Twelfth celebrations. “Such an invitation would insult the memory of our murdered members and bring further hurt and distress to many families.” It added its “Grand Lodge has a longstanding policy of not meeting with Sinn Fein and the current comments by Mrs Mcdonald do not alter that position”.
In an interview with the News Letter, the Sinn Fein leader also said she was sorry for the “hurt” suffered by members of the Orange Order during the Troubles.
Reacting to that, the Order said: “Any apology for murder is between those making it and the families of the bereaved.
“The sincerity of the apology will be judged by the actions of those making it.”
Around 300 members of the Orange Order were killed during the Troubles. Asked by the News Letter if she would say sorry to the institution and admit scores of its members had been murdered by the IRA, Mrs Mcdonald said: “Of course, I am sorry that members of the Orange Order were hurt. Yes. And I’m sorry that anybody was hurt.
“You can play games on these issues. I’ve no interest in that ... that’s not getting us anywhere.
“I’m sorry that anybody got hurt. I’m sorry that any of that happened, from start to finish.”