CULTRA, HOLYWOOD, CO.DOWN BT18 OEU, NORTHERN IRELAND, TEL +44 (0)28 9042 8428

Original location: Silverstream, County Monaghan
The Orange Order, a Protestant religious/political society, was founded in 1795 at a time of heightened sectarian animosity and economic resentments. It was dedicated to sustaining the "glorious and immortal memory" of King William III and his victory over his father-in-law, King James II, at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.
At first the Order was both loyalist and intensely anti-unionist; it was associated with the bloody suppression of the 1798 Rebellion and, because of the prospect of Catholic Emancipation, with opposition to the Act of Union (1801).
With the changing character of Irish society and politics during the 19th century, and fearing Catholic domination in an independent Ireland, by 1900 the Order was in the forefront of opposition to Home Rule - the repeal of the Act of Union and the restoration of an independent Irish parliament.
The Order was mostly confined to Ulster and in the latter quarter of the 19th century when it experienced massive growth Orange halls became a common feature in both town and countryside. This hall was built at Silverstream, in the heart of the Monaghan countryside, in 1884, although the associated Orange lodge, Hand & Pen LOL 597, had been in existence from at least 1843. The reason for its curious name remains a mystery but it is thought to have originated from a local shop that had an illustrated sign featuring a hand writing in a ledger.