IRISH FREEMASONRY                                           

As a Scottish mason currently living in Northern Ireland I was asked to write an article for "The Ashler" regarding Masonry under the Irish Constitution. I have therefore put together the following paper which I hope will be of interest, although I must stress that what I have  written is purely related to the experiences and contacts that I have had during the past five years of visiting Irish Lodges. 

Irish Masonry is made up of  five Orders which are the following,

Craft which consists of E.A, F.C, and M.M degrees,

Royal Arch Chapter which consists of M.M.M, Passing of the Veils Ceremony and the Royal Arch degree,

Council of Knight Masons which work Knight of the Sword, Knight of the East, and Knight of the East and West,

Knights Templar which consists of Knights Templar degree, Mediterranean Pass, and the Knights Malta degree,

Finally there is the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite which works the 18th,28th,30th,31th,32nd and 33rd degrees.  

As you can see because there are very few orders in Ireland compared to Scotland and  England, membership into Orders such as Knights Templar and the A.and A.S. Rite are very much sought after ( by invitation only ),and once received, highly treasured.

There are around about a thousand lodges warranted under the Irish constitution, with the majority of them meeting once a month for approximately 9 months of the year. The Grand Lodge of Ireland is the second oldest Grand Lodge in the world, regarded as being constituted in 1725 and is situated, ( along with the other Grand Bodies ), at 17 Molesworth Street, Dublin,( built in 1865), with approximately 14  Provincial Grand Lodges throughout the remainder of Ireland. The regalia of the Irish Constitution is of a sky blue colour, (similar to English Const ), with gold fringing for Provincial and Grand Lodge officers. One big difference between the constitutions is that master masons are not allowed to wear the letter "G" between the square and compass on their apron, rings, tie-tacs, etc, until they have been installed as a master of a lodge. The reason being that the letter "G" stands for the secret word of an installed/past master.

Various differences occur during the working of the 3 degrees of which I will mention only the main ones, as a book could be probably written on this subject alone. Firstly the Master of the Lodge is addressed as Worshipful Master, and the remainder as Bro.Senior Warden, Bro. Junior Warden, etc.A brother wishing to become Master of a Lodge must have sat at least a year as a warden before obtaining the chair. Also in the cities and large towns where several Lodges and other orders meet in the same hall, the  caretaker of the hall is normally the outside tyler, and it is not unusual for him to be tyling the door of Craft, R.A.C, K.T, and A.and A.S.R, meetings all on the same night. No more than one candidate may be taken at a time, in the 1st and 3rd degrees. One of the main noticeable differences between the two constitutions is that in the first degree the deacons must circulate round the Lodge room and obtain the password, ( which is actually a phrase), from each member present before the Lodge can be opened. Also Ireland is one of the few if not the only constitution which places the altar in the middle of the lodge room. During the first degree when the candidate is restored to the light, his attention is directed to the brethren standing around the altar. On one hand he sees hands outstretched in welcome and fellowship, and on the other, he sees the remainder of the brethren holding working tools as weapons which is a warning of what he might ( symbolically ) expect, if he were to fail to keep his undertaking in his obligation. There are also only two working tools in the EA.. degree, the chipping maul and the 24" gauge. During all three degrees most Lodges would keep the main temple lights on which in my opinion dilutes the mysticism, especially the third degree. In the 5yrs that I have been visiting Irish Lodges I have only ever seen a tracing board used once(2nd de) and I have been told that they are very rarely used.

In the 3rd degree the candidate does not retire from the Lodge room to be re-admitted, he is basically informed of the legend and is then quickly raised. All 3 degrees seem to be shorter in length than that of the Scottish Constitution yet they still contain all the relevant information to a new candidate. The Grand Lodge of Ireland has always been against the idea of printed or written rituals, until recently, when within the last 6 months an official printed ritual of the Irish Craft has been published by the Grand Lodge of Ireland. One thing that does stand out is the fact that no matter where you attend a meeting in N. Ireland, the opening, closing, contents of all degrees, including pass words signs, grips, tokens etc, are all worked in the exact same way. This is down to the fact that in various parts of each Province there are classes of instruction which come under the control of the Irish Grand Lodge of Instruction, to ensure that the same standard of ritual is kept throughout the country.

As I have already mentioned to go into every little detail concerning the differences between the two Constitutions would fill a book on it's own. What I have tried to explain is some of  the differences that immediately come to notice when sitting in an Irish Lodge.

The Grand Lodge of Ireland is, like most Grand Lodges, steeped in history, and is probably the only Grand Lodge to have held a regular meeting in another country, that being in Hampshire in England in 1932, to constitute their last military Lodge, Leswarree No646. Unfortunately both Leswarree Lodge and Chapter have since handed in their warrants. The Grand Lodge was the first to issue ambulatory warrants to regiments within the British army. During the 18th century, and throughout the British Empire there would have been Lodge chests containing Irish warrants among the baggage of most of the British army. Throughout time most military lodges gradually diminished and today there remains only 2 military lodges still working under the Irish Constitution. One being Glittering Star No322, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment, and the other St Patrick's Lodge No295 in the 4/7th Royal Dragoon Guards. Lodge No322 also being the only lodge to have sat in the Tower of London.

 Most Masons in the North of Ireland still attend their Lodges regularly despite the "troubles", and incidents such as the kidnapping of one of their Grand Masters, The 7th Earl of Donoughmore.On the 4th of June 1974 the Earl and his wife were taken from their home in Clonmel, County Tipperary  by persons thought to be members of the Irish Republican Army,  for pro-republican reasons rather than anti-masonic reasons.They were both returned safely and unhurt a few days later.

Irish freemasons pride themselves on the work that they do for charity with such funds as the Victoria Jubilee Masonic Annuity Fund which was founded in 1887, the Masonic girls and Boys Benefit Fund, Widows Funds which are administered by each Province, and there are also two homes for the elderly one in the north and one in the south of the country.

There is probably a lot more information which I have forgotten or have not yet came across, but like all constitutions, when you visit a Lodge in Ireland you are trying to follow the ritual as well as observe the lodge furnishings which is no easy task. The hospitality which is given before,during and after a meeting is second to none and I would recommend a visit to Ireland to anyone.  

Robert J. Currie 

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