“Orange Order in Belfast celebrates the July 12 marches in front of a Catholic Church.”
Ah, yes, and why not...it’s time for the 12th Fortnight, after all... :)
And this past Friday (the 13th) they held the reenactment of the Battle of the Boyne at Scarva, in County Down, a few miles south of Portadown on the Newry Canal. Funny, every year King Billie wins...
King William, of Orange, btw, hence the name of the ‘Orange Order’. And his army was largely made up of German Catholic mercenaries. At Tipperary, after a long seige by Williams troops, it is said that the Catholic defenders behind the walls of the city, shouted to Williams troops, ‘Trade us Kings and we will fight you again!”
Why would German Catholic mercenaries fight on the side of a Protestant king, to help disestablish a Catholic monarch?
William's force was diverse, comprised largely of Dutch, German, French Huguenot and even Danish mercenaries, and although there may have been a few Catholics, there are no credible accounts of large numbers of either Catholics or Germans. In interesting note, although there is often mention of Finnish troops serving under William, there were none. One of the largest contingents serving under William were the Fynske, Lutheran mercenaries from the Fyn region of Denmark.
Peace be with you