Taoiseach pays historic visit to Orange Order HQ
Leo Varadkar first Irish Prime Minister to attend LOL offices
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has arrived at the headquarters of the Orange Order in Belfast in what is a first for an Irish premier.
There was applause from some onlookers as Mr Varadkar was welcomed by the Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, Edward Stevenson.
The Taoiseach kicked off a day of engagements in Belfast with a private meeting with Baroness Paisley, the widow of former DUP leader Ian Paisley, at a library dedicated to his memory in the east of the city.
He will later launch the Feile an Phobail festival in west Belfast.
During a tour of the Museum of Orange Heritage, Mr Varadkar met with the leadership of the Order, including senior Orangemen from the Republic of Ireland.
He posed beside a sign commemorating the 1690 Battle of the Boyne and also paid respects at a memorial window dedicated to the 336 members of the organisation who were murdered during the course of the Troubles.
Mr Stevenson said: "We acknowledge this is a significant moment; as it is the first time a serving leader of the Republic of Ireland government has visited the headquarters of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland.
"As a cross-border organisation, we welcome the Taoiseach's direct engagement with our members based in the border counties of the Republic and, in so doing, recognising the longstanding cultural identity of the Orange family in the south.
"It is also important to acknowledge the importance of the Taoiseach paying his respects to those members of our institution, many of whom served in the security forces, who were murdered by terrorists.
"Such a gesture should not be underestimated and will, I believe, be deeply appreciated by many relatives of the deceased, and the Orange membership as a whole."