A QUARTER of a million euro will be granted by Minister Eamon O’Cuiv to promote the Orange Order in the Republic. The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs has previously supported the refurbishment of a number of Orange Halls in Cavan and Monaghan.

This latest move is being seen as a symbolic milestone in the peace process. Minister Eamonn O’Cuiv is the grandson of one of Ireland’s most iconic republicans, Eamon De Valera. The gesture of approving a grant for the Orange Order is being portrayed as a sign of the growing maturity amongst once divided factions and increased acceptance of other traditions.

The allocation of €250,000 has been allotted for a two year period to a company called Cadelmo Limited. It will operate on a community based initiative in Cavan, Monaghan, Leitrim and Donegal. The funding will support the work of a development officer, who will cater for the needs of Orange Lodges and other groups who meet in their halls.

Last year a small Orange Lodge in Drummartin in Cavan was burned to the ground, whilst an Orange Hall in Monaghan was vandalised with republican graffiti. Minister O’Cuiv has said he totally deplores such acts, and he’s delighted to be involved in a programme which will help develop such facilities.