The Orange Order has welcomed the news that the Republic
of Ireland will officially mark the 90th anniversary of the
Battle of the Somme through the issue of a special commemorative
stamp.
The news has been confirmed in a letter to the Grand Lodge
from An Post, the Republic of Ireland's postal authority.
The move comes after the Orange Order lobbied for a special
stamp to mark the anniversary and the Order's Director of
Services, Dr. David Hume, said they were delighted with the
decision.
"The Battle of the Somme is remembered with honour across
Northern Ireland and in parts of the Irish Republic such as
Donegal and elsewhere, which helped fill the ranks of the
36th Ulster Division. We all know the tragic consequences
of that summer day in 1916 for individuals and families, and
in the small Protestant communities of the border counties
of Ulster the impact was even greater,"
"It is entirely fitting that the Irish Republic should
mark this anniversary, and I have no doubt this gesture will
be appreciated within the unionist community," he said.
The Order has, however, not given its stamp of approval to
the Royal Mail, after the UK postal authority declined to
issue a similar commemorative stamp.
Royal Mail told the Order that it only marked anniversaries
in multiples of 50 or if a Royal occasion merited a special
issue.
However, the Order has questioned the issuing of a special
set of stamps in October to mark England's winning the Ashes.
"We were led to the conclusion that Royal Mail considered
winning the Ashes a royal occasion," the Order said.
"This response from Royal Mail was rather disappointing
and contrasts with the response from An Post in the Republic
of Ireland," an Orange Order spokesman.
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