Orange Victims Day 2025: Loyal Orders remember 344 members and mark Tullyvallen 50th anniversary

Members laying wreaths at the Museum of Orange Heritage, Sloan’s House, Loughgall.

Images by Graham Baalham-Curry

Leaders of the Loyal Orders gathered on Monday, 1 September 2025, to mark the eighth annual Orange Victims Day, commemorating the 344 members of the Orange Family murdered during the Troubles.

This year’s remembrance took place at the Museum of Orange Heritage, Sloan’s House, Loughgall, on a date that carried additional significance.

The 1st of September 2025 marked the 50th anniversary of the IRA attack on Tullyvallen Orange Hall, when five members of LOL 630 were killed.

The 1975 Tullyvallen Orange Hall massacre in South Armagh remains the largest single loss of life suffered by the Orange Family in one incident during the terrorist campaign.

Grand Secretary Wor. Bro. Rev. Mervyn Gibson MBE laying a wreath at the Museum of Orange Heritage, Sloan’s House, Loughgall.

Grand Secretary Wor. Bro. Rev. Mervyn Gibson MBE laying a wreath at the Memorial Window in Schomberg House.

A separate act of remembrance also took place in Belfast, where Grand Secretary Wor. Bro. Rev. Mervyn Gibson MBE laid a wreath at the Memorial Window in Schomberg House.

Orange Victims Day was first established to provide an opportunity for the Loyal Orders and wider community to reflect on the sacrifices endured by members and their families during decades of violence.

Speaking about the importance of remembrance, organisers emphasised the significance of both local and national commemorations in ensuring that the victims of terrorism are never forgotten.