GRAND ORANGE
LODGE OF IRELAND

The origins of the Orange Standard newspaper lay in a Press Committee established by the Grand Orange Lodge, which concerned itself with the one-sided propaganda which was emanating from republican circles about Northern Ireland in the early 1970s.

 

In 1971 a report from the Committee reminded the Grand Lodge that there was a lot of work to be done in putting across the Protestant and Unionist perspective.

 

In June 1972 it was agreed at the Grand Lodge that efforts would be made that Autumn to explore the prospect of introducing an official Orange publication for not only the membership but also the general public.

In January 1973 the paper was launched, with key figures involved in its formation and production including Rev. Canon Dr. S. E. Long and the late Dougie Sloan, a County Armagh newspaper editor. The paper cost five pence per edition and was printed on the second Friday of each month. Distribution took place across Northern Ireland.

The Orange Standard has evolved during the 40 years of continuous production and previous editors have included the late Dougie Sloan, Billy Kennedy and Dr. David Hume.

 

The publication has, over the years, evolved into a newspaper which provides comment, news from around the lodges, world Orange news, leisure pages, historical articles and profiles of members of the Institution.

 

Like all newspapers in the western world, the newspaper faces challenges in maintaining its readership but the Orange Standard has been meeting this challenge in the past few years and has redressed a decline and is now showing a slight increase in sales. Over 5,000 copies are produced each month and distributed to lodges and individuals.

 

In 2017, in an exciting venture, the paper became available to subscribers for the first time in digital format.

The Orange Standard is administered by a Board of Management, currently chaired by Thomas Haire