Donegal Orange Hall Destroyed In Fire

An Orange hall in County Donegal has been destroyed in a fire in the second-such incident in the space of a month.

The blaze at Convoy Orange hall was discovered during the early hours of Friday morning.

Gardai are currently working to establish the cause of the fire, while early indications suggest entry was forced into the building.

Last month, nearby Newtowncunningham Orange hall, also in County Donegal, was destroyed in a separate arson attack.

Convoy Orange hall was built in the 1930s and is used mainly by members of Thiepval Memorial Lodge and a local Apprentice Boys Club. It also serves as a facility for other community activities.

Convoy Master Alan Laird said: "The Orange fraternity in Convoy is just aghast - we are in a complete state of shock. We enjoy fantastic community relations with our Roman Catholic neighbours and have no idea why our hall would be targeted in such a manner.

"The hall has served as a hub for a range of social activities for generations, and only recently hosted a 100th birthday party. Its immediate loss will be keenly felt but we are determined to see the hall restored again to its former glory."

Grand Secretary of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, Drew Nelson, said: "It would appear that this incident, although not yet confirmed, is a carbon copy of the recent arson attack at Newtowncunningham. If so, it is our belief such criminality will be roundly rejected by the overwhelming majority of the Roman Catholic community in Donegal.

Attacks on Orange halls are an insidious form of sectarianism, which by the evidence of recent weeks, are being carried out by a small group of well organised people."

(IT/CD)