Lodge out of order over GAA kids

Comber veteran slams Goldsprings’ objection to children’s sports camp

Dr McGimpsey beside a portrait of King Billy which hangs in his hallway

Chris McGimpsey at his County Down home and with some of his many Orange artefacts

North Down Cricket Club which was forced to cancel its cross-community sports camp

A veteran Comber Orangeman has slammed the Loyal Orange lodge which objected to young Gaelic footballers learning to play cricket in the County Down town, the Sunday World can reveal.

Earlier this week the Comber-based Goldsprings lodge backed the halting of a kids’ criss-community summer sports camp at the town’s cricket club because of the involvement of children from East Belfast GAA club.

North Down Cricket Club insists it had taken the decision to cancel the event before the Orange Lodge issued a controversial statement condemning GAA participation.

North Down Cricket Club which was forced to cancel its cross-community sports camp

But historian and senior Orangeman Dr Chris McGimpsey says the actions of the County Down lodge brought ridicule on the Orange Order from around the world.

And last night Dr McGimpsey – an Orangeman with 55 years good standing in the staunchly Protestant organisation – launched a blistering attack on those responsible.

“I was shocked at the message coming out of the Goldsprings lodge. There are many ways to challenge the GAA over its connections to violent republicanism, but preventing children from playing cricket isn’t one of them,” Dr McGimpsey said.

“Even if people hold those views, why do they seek to link it to the Orange Order?” he asked.

“Because children who play Gaelic football are very different from mature adults who name a Gaelic Athletic Club after a dead IRA terrorist. Those two things should not be confused,” Dr McGimpsey insisted.

He added: “Now the Orange Order is being talked about negatively all over the place.”

Chris McGimpsey at his County Down home and with some of his many Orange artefacts

Senior GAA sources say it’s ludicrous to link the organisation with modern-day violent republicanism. Just one club of the 2,700 in Ireland and around the world is named after a Troubles-linked republican – Kevin Lynch’s in Dungiven, which is named in tribute to the INLA hunger-striker who captained their team to All-Ireland glory.

Mr McGimpsey, a former resident of the majority Protestant linen mill town of Comber, said he was surprised to learn such a divisive issue had emanated from there.

“I lived in Comber for over 20 very happy years and I was really surprised to learn that one of the Comber lodges would come out with something like that. I found Comber to be a lovely town full of decent, warm and friendly people,” he said.

Sign on lamppost in Comber

“My own Orange lodge is in Dublin, but obviously when I was in Comber I knew a lot of the local Orangemen and I found them to be sensible decent men.

“And so I was surprised that something like this would have come from Comber. But I think what we are seeing here is similar to what we saw last week in Moygashel. It appears to be contrived.

“This was a political issue pushing its way into normal life. I mean everyone has views on immigration as I have myself.

“And I have also been very critical of the GAA and its alleged linkages to republican terrorism. But I mean messages coming from an Orange lodge should be about Orangemen and Orangeism.

“As Orangemen we believe in what we are doing. We don’t need to reflect what other politicians are saying and we shouldn’t be commenting on other issues which are not related to us.

“The Irish Cricket Union issued a statement to say it had taken a decision to postpone the event, even before the Goldspring statement came out.

Goldsprings Orange Hall in Comber

“But why the lodge wanted to bring the Orange Order into this and bring the Orange Order into disrepute, beats me. It’s just silly nonsense.

“Because children who play Gaelic football are very different from men who name a Gaelic club after an IRA terrorist. They should not be confused.”

The former Ulster Unionist councillor in Belfast City Council also recalled a famous night in GAA history when he was invited – as a well-known Orangemen – to address a meeting of players, officials and supporters of Crossmaglen Rangers GAC.

“A friend of mine told me I’d be okay in south Armagh because the place was full of Rangers supporters – I thought they meant Glasgow Rangers! And it was only when I arrived I found out it was Crossmaglen Rangers!

“I outlined my view as an Orangemen and a unionist and I was extremely well received. I had a real go at Irish republicanism.

“I went to south Armagh because its important that we get our message across to everyone.

“I wouldn’t say everyone in the audience agreed with me, but they weren’t expected to. I enjoyed it very much.”

Chris McGimpsey in his Orange regalia this week

He added: “Crossmaglen Rangers treated me well and it was well worth the trip.”

In the later 1980s Chris McGimpsey and his brother Michael – a former Health Minister – took the Irish government to court over Article 2&3 of the Irish Constitution which claimed ownership of Northern Ireland.

They lost the case in Dublin, but it was generally regarded as having been a major influence on the Irish government’s decision to drop the controversial claim prior to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

On Thursday evening, the Sunday World called to Comber Orange Hall in Railway Street in a bid to find out why the lodge issued its statement against the children from East Belfast taking part in the cross-community cricket event. No one from the Goldsprings LOL was available.

Dr McGimpsey beside a portrait of King Billy which hangs in his hallway

But a spokesperson from the Goldsprings True Defenders Flute Band, which shares the same hall, told us he fully supported the lodge’s hostile stance against children from a GAA background taking part in a sporting event in the town.

And he also maintained the lodge had been misrepresented in the print and broadcasting media.

“I fully expect that within the next few days apologies will be issued to the Goldsprings Lodge over this,” he said.

It was generally believed the decision to cancel the proposed sporting event hosted by North Down Cricket Club came after an onslaught of online criticism

But the North Down Cricket Club insisted it had taken the decision to postpone the event a full 24 hours before the Goldsprings Orange LOL condemned it.

Earlier this month Goldsprings True Defenders Flute Band took part in a parade in Belfast to commemorate UVF leader Trevor King gunned down by republicans in July 1994.

Cricket Ireland said they were disappointed and will now host the event for the children on July 28 at Stormont.

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