On July 1, 1690 (Old Style), the Battle of the Boyne was fought near Drogheda between the Catholic King James II and the Protestant King William III. William's victory secured the Protestant monarchy in England and Ireland and marked a decisive turning point in the Williamite War in Ireland. The battle, the largest ever fought on Irish soil, cemented Protestant ascendancy and has been commemorated by the Orange Order ever since.

The Battle of the Boyne is a foundational event in Ulster Protestant poetry and song, celebrated in Orange ballads that commemorate William's victory. Conversely, it is lamented in Jacobite and Irish nationalist poetry as a defeat that doomed the Catholic cause. The battle's symbolic power has persisted in political poetry, with its anniversary serving as a flashpoint for sectarian expression.