Happy St Patrick's Day & a Glimpse at Irish Freemasonry

The Irish Freemasons were strong in the state of Victoria, and members from Grand Lodges Ireland, Scotland and England all came together to form the United Grand Lodge Victorian in 1889. An earlier Grand Lodge of Victoria (1883) folded into UGLV but had comprised Irish and Scottish Lodges. Hence the Irish had a role in the formation of both of Victoria’s Grand Lodges. In Lodges with a strong Irish heritage, St Patrick's Day on the March 17 is often a big deal and celebrated both formally and/or informally. Ireland had “The Troubles” (c 1968 – 1998) seeded in the Norman invasion with Henry II being the first English King to set foot on Irish soil (1171) and the later the Tudor (1550’s, Henry VIII) and the Cromwellian invasion (1649). Historical conflict in Ireland is often conceived as a struggle between Protestant and Catholic – and religion is a good prism in the post Reformation world to examine Irish History. But it’s also simplistic. Wolfe Tone (1763-1798), father of modern Irish Republicanism and an early advocate of Catholic emancipation was Protestant. The historian knows these conflicts were more about the history of identity, “race”, economics, conquest, invasion, and then repression, as they were about religion which was later used to polarize. Roddy Doyle’s novel “The Commitments”, made into a movie with the same title in 1991, has that famous line “The Irish are the blacks of Europe”; perhaps an apt description about repression based on racism and consequent disadvantage experienced by Irish Catholics. “No Irish”, “Catholics Need Not Apply” stood in the way of many people in the societies Europe, the US and here.

Freemasonry is sometimes mistakenly seen as an anti-catholic organisation, but we know we don’t talk about religion or politics in lodge – and they, with economics, tribalism, and imperialism are core to “The Troubles”. We also know organisations ebb and flow, and while we have rightly have lofty ideals and values, they have not always been practised by all our members, but also that Freemasonry should, and does, accept any man of good character with a belief in a Supreme Being. Sectarianism drove some Freemasons in 1795 to participate in establishing the Loyal Orange Order – because that orders’ focus on Protestantism would have been unacceptable in Lodges themselves. It is often described as the “Protestant Masonic Orange Order” which confused some to think it is part of Freemasonry, but while it adopted and adapted many of the symbols and mechanisms of the Craft, most obviously the word “Lodge”, and the Square And Compass, however the Orange Order stands outside Freemasonry. Even if many gave the Orange Order a friendly nod, it’s specific values must to stand outside Freemasonry because of its religious nature and I could suggest also because of the nature of its obligations, and it’s very purpose. (And I’m being careful, I know members of Order and while I think it played a strong role in sectarianism, those members meet Freemasons of the Catholic Faith as Brothers). The conflict between Catholic Ribbonmen and Protestant Orangemen should be left in the past and are irrelevant in Freemasonry; my interest in them is as amateur historian fascinated by a complex and nuanced subject often simplified into fictions.. Sometimes people just get caught up and indeed trapped by the pressures of the day, but Lodges should consciously and rightly stand outside religious and political events – it’s a landmark of recognising a GL as regular.. It’s a droll fact that in Sectarian Marches, Catholics attacked Protestant marches, Protestants attacked Catholic marches,  and on more than one occasion both groups attacked Freemasons marching. “From Riots To Rights, Nationalist Parades In The North Of Ireland”, Jarman & Byan 1997 is one source that mentions that and it’s an interesting read.