Independent Loyal Orange Institution

Ballymoney District Treasure Hunt
2025-08-05 18:30 - 22:30 (Europe/London) | Garryduff Independent Orange Hall, Garryduff Road, Ballymoney, Garryduff Road, Ballymoney, Antrim, BT53 7DH, United Kingdom
Another date for your diary. This time Garryduff Independent Orange Hall will host a treasure hunt with proceeds in aid of Ballymoney District ILOL and Prince of William Junior ILOL.
Tuesday 5th August with cars leaving from 6:30pm.Refreshments on return to the hall. Looking forward to seeing you there.

Fun at the Farm
2025-09-13 11:00 - 16:00 | Tommy Fentons Farm, Duneany Road, Rasharkin, United Kingdom
Lisnagaver hall committee are organising their annual Vintage and modern display with Road Run on Saturday 13th September at the farm of Tommy Fenton.
The Lisnagaver vintage and modern display and road run will be held at the farm Duneany Road, Rasharkin from 11.30am to 4pm
With a BBQ,and fun for all the family including BOUNCY CASTLE and FREE TEA FOR EXHIBITORS.
The event will also be helping a good cause which this year is the COMMUNITY RESCUE SERVICE.

Its the perfect opportunity to get your vintage tractor or car our for the day, with a static display and road run around the beautiful Rasharkin and Bann valley countryside.

King William's Birthday
2025-11-04 | Virtual Twelfth Website
Almost as soon as the smoke of battle had cleared and the capital of Ireland was back under Williamite control the city began planning one of the biggest celebrations it had ever seen. The Government of the day began planning a birthday party for the King, as a tribute to their great Deliverer, as a sign of their loyalty, to give thanks to God for his help and to show their resolve to win the war that was still raging in the west of Ireland.
As an Institution dedicated to the memory of King William III Prince of Orange, we continue those celebrations of his birthday. Indeed at one time its celebration and the commemoration of his landing in England on 5 November gave rise to a double celebration which for many years was a civic event established by law. Dublin became a centre for these celebrations and the equestrian statue of King William at College Green in front of Trinity College hosted annual parades and celebrations which first began on 4 November 1690, King Williams’s fortieth birthday.
Despite the sectarian attacks on this display of loyalty and commemoration of our Glorious Heritage Orangemen across Ireland, and indeed the world still remembers that great double celebration of 4-5 November. Many lodges hold meetings on that night with some even holding off installations of officers to ensure that it falls on or near that date. Toasts are still made and the event marked at dinners and private gatherings.

Remember Remember the Fifth of November
2025-11-08 17:00 | McNeillstown Independent Orange Hall, 15 Blackstone Road, Portglenone, BT448HB, United Kingdom
Remember remember the Fifth of November, Gunpowder treason and Plot

For centuries the people of Britain were required by law to commemorate the Gunpowder Treason plot and to give thanks to God for his deliverance of the King, Lords and Parliament. Parliament met in January 1606 and passed the Thanksgiving Act. This made services and sermons commemorating the plot a regular annual feature each 5 November.
Thousands of sermons were delivered on that date over the next two centuries and hundreds of them were published. The tradition grew of marking the day with the ringing of church bells and bonfires. Fireworks were also included in some of the earliest celebrations.
Following the capture of Guy Fawkes on 5th November 1605 and the arrest of his fellow conspirators, the Government responded immediately to this attempt to blow up the King and Parliament.

An Act entitled ‘An Acte for a publique Thancksgiving to Almighty God everie yeere of the Fifte day of November’ was passed in January 1606 This proclaimed the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot should ‘be held in a perpetual Remembrance’ and that the day be ‘a holiday for ever in thankfulness to God for the deliverance and detestation of the Papists’. This annual ‘remembrance’ was to be marked by a morning service in every parish church at which a special prayer of thanksgiving was to be offered up.

These celebrations were always more lively when people saw a present Catholic threat. The custom of burning effigies of the Pope, or the devil, seems to have begun in the reign of Charles I (1625-49) and became more popular during the crisis over the succession of James II in 1678-81. It was only later that Guy Fawkes replaced the Pope as the figure burned on the 5 November bonfires. It became a night when Protestants across Britain reflected on events of the past and how they were preserved from a number of Catholic terrorist plots and coup d’etats.
Today the tradition continues in England primarily, with Bonfire night and the burning of the Guy. Children create a guy to be burnt in effigy to accompany the collection of money and firewood on Bonfire Night. This is a tradition that thrives in British playgrounds, parks and streets to this day.

Bonfire Prayers
Remember, remember the Fifth of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot,
I see no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes ’twas his intent
To blow up the King and the Parliament,
Three score barrels of powder below
Poor old England to overthrow.
By God’s providence he was catch’d
With a dark lantern and burning match,
Holler boys, holler boys, ring bells ring
Holler boys, holler boys, God Save the King!
A penny loaf to feed the Pope
A farthing o’cheese to choke him,
A pint of beer to rinse it down
A faggot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar
Burn him like a blazing star,
Burn his body from his head
Then we’ll say old Pope is dead.
Hip Hip Hoorah!
Hip Hip Hoorah!
Hip Hip Hoorah!

Remembrance Sunday
2025-11-09 10:30 | Virtual Twelfth Website
Members of the Institution will lay wreaths at various Remembrance events as they represent the Institution at Church and Civic Events. As with other years, we work closely with the Royal British Legion to mark Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day, and we as an Institution pay our respects to those who served and sacrificed.

We remind members to take the opportunity of the National Minutes silence at 11 am on 11 November for their own quiet reflection wherever they are. The Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall traditionally starts a weekend of commemoration with events on Remembrance Sunday at various cenotaphs and churches.
Join with us as we mark this time of national remembrance and also look back at other years when we organised events from parades to our own Festival of Remembrance

Virtual Burns Night
2026-01-25 19:30 - 23:30 | Virtual Twelfth Website
This year we begin our programme of Ulster Scots events and activities online with a virtual Burns Night supper with all the traditional trappings of the bard’s birthday. Follow our programme on line as we build up to a great night of fun and food which can be enjoyed from your own table.
The theme of ‘Bringing Burns Hame’ the Virtual Burns Nights is “Burns the Man O’ Independent Mind” and takes a look at just why the Bard had a special place in the hearts and minds of Independent Orangemen.
The theme will she displayed in song and poetry as we spend an evening together online reflecting on the life of Robert Burns with a celebration of food and fun.
Clink Here to Join us with a Virtual Burns Night

Table Quiz
2026-02-20 19:30 - 22:30 | Mosside Independent Orange Hall, 3 Knockmore Road, Mosside, BT53 8PP, United Kingdom
Get your thinking caps on and join us for a table quiz.
Ballycastle District Table Quiz Friday 20th February, Mosside Ind. Orange Hall 7.45

Garryduff Annual Clay Pigeon Shoot
2026-03-09 18:30 - 23:00 | Thatch Gun Club
Garryduff lIol 15 Annual clay pigeon Shoot Monday 9th March, at the Thatch Gun Club, Broughshane. Meet at the club 7pm or for anyone unfamiliar with the location, meet outside Broughshane Orange Hall at 6.30pm Contact James Anderson for details 07399 427594

Whether you are an experienced shot or a first timer come and give it a go. For beginners there will be expert tuition and for the more experienced guns an excellent competitive set up.

The Big Breakfast
2026-04-06 08:00 - 12:00 | ILOI Head-Quarters, Edward Street, Ballymoney
The tables are set for the Rasharkin District Big Breakfast On Easter Monday before the Apprentice Boys Parade and Crimson Festival.
Get the day off to a goody start and plan to join us in Head-Quarters from 8am where the welcome will be as warm as the food.

The fried breakfast is by no means unique to Ulster, across the border they have the full Irish, there’s the full English and Welsh, with most regions of Britain and Ireland having their own variation on the fry-up. It might just be the time of year, but we think the Ulster Fry has the others beat.

Nothing new

The fry is very much a Victorian invention. One of the most famous Victorian cookbooks, Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management, listed a selection of the best cooked breakfast foods. Cooked breakfast was less common before the Victorian era than it is today, but we have Mrs Beeton to thank for adding bacon and eggs to the world’s breakfast repertoire. What we think of as the traditional fried breakfast came into its own after World War II. As well as being known as the ‘Full English’, the phrase ‘Full Monty’ is sometimes used instead, owing to the fact general Bernard ‘Monty’ Montgomery supposedly started every day with a hearty English breakfast.

What’s the difference?

Bacon, eggs and sausages (all fried) are common ingredients across all fry-ups, but everything else is a matter of contention. The purist’s Ulster Fry consists of bacon, eggs, sausages, black pudding and, most importantly, both potato bread and soda bread. Baked beans, fried tomato, mushrooms, and white pudding are commonly added, but hardcore traditionalists might reject these. The biggest sticklers might outright reject anything that can’t be fried in lard, but that position is growing unpopular as time goes by. Indeed, as people become more health conscious, cooked breakfasts are moving towards grilling instead of frying.

Baking and eggs

The two breads in the Ulster Fry are usually served in farls (short for fardell, meaning a quarter, and made by cutting dough into four pieces). Potato bread substitutes potato for some of the wheat flour and is usually mass produced as farls, while soda bread is made with soda bicarbonate instead of yeast and can also be baked as a normal loaf. Although wheaten bread (soda bread made with wholemeal flour) is often served sliced in restaurants, sliced soda would be quite unusual on a breakfast plate.

Monthly Prayer Meeting
2026-04-20 19:30 - 21:00 | Granagh Independent Orange Hall, 138 Mullan Road, Rasharkin, Antrim, BT44 8SH, United Kingdom
The Monthly prayer meetings hosted by our various lodges have been a real time of fellowship and blessing, and will continue throughout 2026. As an Institution we have much to give thanks to God for and much to bring to him in prayer. The meetings are open to all and we would encourage you to join us for a time of prayer.
The meetings are organised by our Religious Affairs Committee.

Eleventh Night
2026-07-11 19:00 - 23:00 | McNeillstown Independent Orange Hall, 15 Blackstone Road, Portglenone, BT448HB, United Kingdom
Lighting the Way – Eleventh Night Bonfire & Family Celebration in Portglenone
The Banntastic Festival will mark one of the most iconic traditions in the Protestant calendar with a spectacular Eleventh Night Bonfire and Family Fun Evening in Portglenone. The event blends commemoration and community, heritage and hospitality, and offers a family-friendly alternative for all ages.
Rooted in the events of 1690, Eleventh Night bonfires symbolise the eve of King William III’s victory at the Battle of the Boyne. Across Ulster, these fires are a celebration of deliverance, liberty and Protestant identity. In Portglenone, that tradition is embraced with pride—but also enhanced with modern values of safety, inclusion, and cultural education.
This year’s event includes:

Children’s games and inflatables
Live local music
Free Street Food
Ceremonial lighting of a Beacon
Traditional music as the flames rise

Everyone is encouraged to bring a chair, a torch, and their community spirit. The evening is an opportunity to enjoy cultural expression in a safe, respectful and celebratory way—a truly “Banntastic” experience for the whole family.

Boyne Thanksgiving Service
2026-07-12 14:30 | Garryduff Presbyterian Church, Garryduff Road Ballymoney, 126 Garryduff Rd,, Ballymoney, Northern Ireland, BT53 7DH, United Kingdom
Garryduff ILOL No 15 will hold their annual Church Parade and Service to Garryduff Presbyterian Church Sunday 12th July 2026
Brethren and Bands are requested to Assemble at Garryduff Independent Orange Hall 2.45pm.
The Annual Boyne Thanksgiving Church Service and Parade gives us all an opportunity to reflect on the victory we celebrate and give thanks to God for it.
