Traditional Roots

The scenes at Drumcree Parish Church in Portadown over the last number of years have brought to the fore the question of the relationship between the Orange Order and the Church of Ireland. The question itself, not to mention any answer to it, is divisive within the church, many of whose members are also members of the Orange Order and see no difficulty in the present situation. Others, of course, have a very different point of view. In this book, the result of extensive research and reflection, Earl Storey sets out the background to the debate: the essence of the Orange Order, the essence of the Church of Ireland, the Order and the Church today. Having set out the analysis he then moves into the complex areas of agreement and conflict between the two, and points the way forward towards an appropriate relationship between the Church and the Orange Order.