Tens of thousands of Orangemen, accompanied by hundreds of bands paraded to the various demonstration venues, the pavements lined with huge crowds of enthusiastic onlookers.

The television pictures, and the photographs in the papers caught perfectly the mood of a people who are happy with the Orange cause, and are as determined as their forefathers to celebrate the great traditions associated with the Orange Order.

Yet there are still the begrudgers and the doubters among sections of the media, who continually seek to assert that the Orange Order is in decline and no longer commands the support of many Protestants.

It is understandable when such criticism comes from traditional quarters, from writers with a nationalist background and agenda.

It is so much more difficult to understand the reasoning behind the vitriolic criticism when it comes from writers from the Protestant tradition.

One highly respected columnist went as far as to pose the question “Is Orangeism marching into realms of folklore?”

The article then carried a litany of alleged shortcomings on the part of Orangeism, and in support of his argument that the Order is in decline. Things like the claim that the number of clerical members in the Order has “dwindled”, and also that of what he termed “the professional classes”.

The ending of the Orange link with political unionism was also mentioned, and the stand-offs like that at Drumcree.

He claimed that the Order “fails to understand, or care, why other people do not take it seriously as an organisation which is capable of moving with the times, adding, “It will continue to march up its own boring cul-de-sac, while deepening its siege mentality and blaming everyone else.”

Boring? Does anyone seriously suggest that the hundreds of thousands of onlookers on the streets of Northern Ireland found the Twelfth marches boring?

The fact, which some apparently intellectually superior people seem difficult to grasp, is that Orangeism is deeply embedded in the Ulster Protestant psyche, and enjoys the loyalty and support of a huge section of the majority population.

An increasing tendency in recent years has been for writers and observers to suggest that the Orange Order has become a mainly “working class” organisation, and no longer attracts many men from what it terms the “professional classes.”

The fact which such writers seem to fail to grasp is that the Order has always been classless, and values each member, irrespective of their background.

But writers who claim that people from “professional classes” no longer tend to join the Order are well off the mark.

I know Orange brethren who are lawyers, solicitors, accountants, journalists, soldiers, civil servants, clergymen, politicians, and many other professions.

I also know Orange brethren who are labourers, electricians, painters, railwaymen, plumbers, and farmers.

As far as I am concerned, and I think I can speak for most members, all these are brother Orangemen, and their trade or profession is of no relevance.

Reports from all the Orange rallies this year indicated that crowds watching the parades were the biggest for 10 years, and most Orange districts report an increase in the number of men seeking to join.

Writers who accuse the Orange Order of bigotry or failing to enhance Protestantism or the Christian ethic, overlook the fact that Orangeism has always been an organisation committed to defending the Reformed Protestant faith.

The stand-offs which have grabbed the headlines in the past decade have not been sought by the Orange Order.

The Orange Order is not parochial in its thinking and attitudes to events shaping the future of Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

It has acknowledged the new thinking in large parts of the Republic of Ireland, where over 50 Orange lodges exist.

Critics of the Orange Order here also overlook the fact that Orangeism is flourishing in other parts of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, as well as a number of foreign countries.

Whether the critics like it or not, all the signs are that the Orange Order will continue to enjoy the support of a huge section of the Northern Ireland population.