More than once, I have commented that I have learnt from various plaques and signs that I have spotted – today’s blog is another lesson learnt. I assumed that the Irish National Foresters was a trade association for those working in woodlands and forestry. It made me immediately think of Monty Python and their lumberjack song. Today, a tweet of a ghostsign in Edinburgh for the Ancient Order of Foresters reminded me of the visit to Tullamore last month and this sign over Fergie’s Bar on Market Place. It prompted some education from the web. The Ancient Order of Foresters was founded in 1834. The Irish National Foresters broke away in 1877 and became the largest friendly society in Ireland, supporting Irish nationalism and ‘government for Ireland by the Irish people in accordance with Irish ideas and Irish aspirations’. A procession in Dublin in 1923 was attended by 25,000. There are some branches remaining, particularly in Ulster but also in Navan where those in the Irish National Foresters Brass Band are still blowing. It is a bad day when one does not learn something new. |