Green Party TD Patrick Costello has made a bold proposal that the 12th of July, which marks the celebration of The Twelfth (or Orangeman's Day) in Northern Ireland, should be a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland.
The day - which commemorates William of Orange's defeat of the Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, and the Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland - is widely celebrated up North, and known for its marching bands and massive bonfires.
Costello's proposal is on the basis that we need to make further changes down South to help to 'unite all the people who share the territory of the island of Ireland, in all the diversity of their identities and traditions'.
The topic was discussed on Liveline today, and met with derision from some quarters, given the toxic nature of some elements of the celebrations in the North, most notably the burning of Irish flags and posters, and insulting slogans.
"Today I am calling on the Irish Government to make the 12th of July a public holiday," began Costello' statement.
This day is an extremely important one historically for the island, and culturally for many people who live here.
As part of the peace process we have made a number of gestures, such as amending articles 2 and 3 of the constitution. The new article 3 specifies that the state will work ‘to unite all the people who share the territory of the island of Ireland, in all the diversity of their identities and traditions’. I believe my proposal would see us living up to our constitutional obligation.
We have seen the good work currently carried out by the Shared Island unit, building literal bridges between North and South.
Efforts such as this would reaffirm that commitment to a sense of shared ownership and history of the island. Indeed, in Northern Ireland both the 12th and St Patrick’s Day are designated as public holidays, this too should be replicated here.
Should We Consider Making The Twelfth A Public Holiday?
July 12th is explicitly a festival of Orangeism; i.e. a celebration of the Protestant ascendancy established in Ireland in the late 17th century. It is explicitly sectarian and supremacist. The idea that recognising it is 'inclusive' is contradictory to say the least. https://t.co/zGhOKPzBSY
— Eoin Daly (@eoinmauricedaly) July 10, 2023
The 12th of July has brought "benefits" to the tourism industry in #Galway for five decades.
People in #Derry, #Tyrone, #Fermanagh, etc, need to escape the supremacism, sectarianism, and hate which makes them feel unwelcome and unsafe in their own homes.@rteliveline #liveline https://t.co/cDMg1vWNJW
— Ciaran Tierney (@ciarantierney) July 10, 2023
Anyone calling for a public holiday for the 12th in the Republic should call in for a drink in a pub on the Shankill Road wearing their county GAA jersey first.
Come back to us after that and tell us how immature we are for questioning your good intentions.
— Anthony Lawless 🇱🇻 (@Anthony86020521) July 10, 2023
I’m sure if the Green Party discussed the huge amount of carbon the Loyalist bonfires spew into the air they and the Orange Order would cease these bonfires immediately.They are, after all reasonable people 😳😳😳 #Liveline
— Urlofcork (@urlofcork) July 10, 2023
“I’ve never lived in the North, but we have to move on” 🤡#liveline
Doesn’t matter how much “we” move on, if the others celebrate this every year pic.twitter.com/hactnulC3t— Liam Fennell (@LiamFenny) July 10, 2023
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“Aside from the symbolic effects this would also bring benefits for the tourism industry," continued the statement.
"For tourism there is huge untapped potential relating to the Jacobite-Williamite War. In particular I think of the Battle of the Boyne site itself where the OPW run a fantastic visitor site. This could become a site of annual pilgrimage for many from the North. In Limerick we could capitalise on the Treaty stone and in Galway on the Battle of Aughrim site.”
“For too long the Irish state sought to portray a single narrative of Irish history, one that was isolationist, militant, nationalist and catholic. We know that history is not black and white, we know that there are numerous traditions on this island. If the Irish state truly aspires to unite all the peoples of this island, then all of those people need to feel represented and included. Designating the 12th as a public holiday would be a major step for that process.”
While there are many toxic elements to the celebrations in Northern Ireland, the actions of the Orange Order towards the All-Ireland winning Derry minors showed that progress has been made and that mutual co-existence and respect is possible.
However, to make it a public holiday in the Republic would be a huge step, and one that is probably unrealistic at this moment in time.
SEE ALSO: Orange Order Show Respect To Derry All-Ireland Winners
