The Apprentice Boys of Derry

 Oldest of the loyal orders  1 st found in 1714 to commemorate the Siege of Derry.  In 1688 the armies of King James 11, a Catholic King, surrounded the city of Londonderry, which supported the armies of King William of Orange. The population of the city grew from 3,000 to 30,000 as Protestants from surrounding areas took refuge behind Derry’s high walls.

At the start of the siege 13 apprentice boys slammed the city gates against the army of the Catholic King James II.

During the Siege Lieutenant Governor Robert Lundy was an officer in the Williamite army and had been appointed military governor of the city just prior to the siege. Lundy tried to negotiate a surrender of the city. The citizens of the city saw Lundy as either incompetent or sympathetic to the besieging Jacobites.

For the next 105 days Derry refused to surrender – ‘NO SURRENDER’ in spite of hunger and constant bombardment by James’s army James’s army also stopped any ships supplying he city. In the summer of 1689, William sent three ships to break through the barricades and the city was eventually relieved in August 1689

 The Apprentice Boys of Derry, one of the Protestant Loyal Orders, is based upon this defiant action of "no surrender".  New Apprentice Boys can only be initiated inside the city, in ceremonies in August and December each year.  The order holds its main parade in Derry on 12 August to celebrate the relief of the city and the end of the siege.

The siege is commemorated annually by the Apprentice Boys of Derry who stage the week long Maiden City Festival culminating in a parade around the walls of the city by local members, followed by a parade of the city by the full Association

It crystallises for Unionists the sense of themselves on the island of Ireland. It is the perfect example of how they feel under threat from the Catholic majority and it encourages and celebrates resistance, defiance and a determination not to surrender. It is remembered to reinforce resolve and unity among Unionists in the face of the unchanging threat of Nationalists and Catholics. It is also a celebration of a victory over a Catholic army that secured Protestant power and control in Ireland for centuries. It was a time when the Protestant settlement in Ireland could have been ended and it reminds Protestant Unionists that they should stay strong and firm and fear and resist the Catholic/ Gaelic majority in Ireland. It reminds Protestant Unionists is that they must be constantly on the alert for the traitor within who wants to compromise, deal with or give in to their enemies.

 The Apprentice Boys of Derry is a Protestant fraternal society with a worldwide membership of over 80,000, founded in  They are based in the city of Derry, however, there are Clubs and branches across Ireland, Great Britain and further afield.  It is split up into 8 Parent Clubs (named after heros of the siege) and over 200 branches. Each parent club has a branch club in other parts of NI and in Canada, Scotland and Australia  Lord Brookeborough, Terence O’Neill and Ian Paisley were all me mbers.  They have celebrations to commemorate the Shutting of the Gate s and the Relief ofDerry at which there is a parade, church servic e, burning of Lundy.  They parade with their flags, crimson sashes, bowler hats.  Membership “is open to anyone who professes Christ through th e reformed Protestant faith”.  They parade as a celebration of their tradition, bringing together people of their faith.  Show ‘No Surrender’ against the Catholics (SIEGE MENTALITY)

 The Catholics resented the Marches  Many of the songs sung by the Apprentice Boysw ere offensive to Catholics and the Apprentice Boys also did things such as throwing coins down onto the Catholics in a form of disrespect.  In October 1968 there was a civil rights march pl anned for Derry (NICRA) but the Apprentice Boys planned a march for the same da y. This gave the Home Affairs Minister William Craig the excuse to ban both marches. H owever, as a result, violence followed.

 On 12th August 1969 the Apprentice Boys held a march which sparked off the Battle of the Bogside.  At the beginning it was nonviolent but Apprentice Boys did things such as throwing coins. Although there were barricades up, the Catholic Youths began to throw stones which led to the RUC attacking.  The British Army was brought in two days later to stop the violence.  After this parades were banned for the next 2 years.  Then a Parades Commission was set up but the Apprentice Boys refused to co-operate.  In 1989 the Nationalists won control of Derry and allowed that the parades could be brought back. Although this time with no insulting songs or coin throwing!

 “The siege of Derry carries an emotional charge that the more famous Battle of the Boyne lacks. In part, this is simply because the Maiden City (Derry), unlike the river Boyne, is situated within the six Ulster counties which became Northern Ireland in Ulster men and women participated in the defence of Derry, and their descendants still live there. The story serves to reinforce the political resolve of Ulster Protestants by recalling the unchanging threat to their faith and liberties by the Catholic majority in Ireland: 'No Surrender', the watchword of the defenders of Derry, has become the arch slogan of loyalism”, Brian Lacy.  “To most of those who march, the marching period is a celebration of their history, culture and religion, while to most of those who do not it is at best a colourful spectacle, at worst an expression of sectarian triumphalism”, Michael Hall.

 In 1970 and 1971 the Apprentice boys parade was not allowed out of the Protestant Waterside area of the city.  In 1973 the IRA blew up the statue of George Walker.  A Parades Commission was set up to make decisions on controversial parades and where and how they could march.  The commission asked the Apprentice Boys to talk to Nationalist residents in order to reach agreement.  The Apprentice Boys’ refused and the march remained a problem in the city.  In 1989 the Nationalists were in control of the Derry City Council.  It was also the tercentenary (300 years) of the siege of Derry.  In a gesture of goodwill the council gave its support to the organisation of the ceremonies.  In 1995 the Apprentice Boys were allowed by the city council to march around the city walls again.  The ceremonies no longer had any place for insulting songs or coin throwing.

“In no other spot in the North did I feel the surge of pride which an Ulsterman must feel as he thinks back over his own local history. Had I met an Orangeman as I stood on Walker's Bastion I would have wished to take his hand and shake it. If I were an Ulsterman I could never forget Derry. Its siege was a magnificent example of heroic endurance, from the 18th December 1688 when the gates were closed to the 12th August when the relief ships, that had for seven weeks been blocked on the Foyle by a boom, having burst through at the end of July, received the city and ended its torments”, Seán O'Faoláin.

 The Battle of the Bogside was a very large communal riot that took place during 12–14 August 1969 in Derry, Northern Ireland.  The fighting was between residents of the Bogside area (allied under the Derry Citizens' Defence Association) and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).  The rioting erupted after the RUC attempted to disperse Irish nationalists who were protesting against a loyalist Apprentice Boys parade along the city walls, past the nationalist Bogside.  Rioting continued for three days in the Bogside. The RUC was unable to enter the area and the British Army was deployed to restore order.  The riot, which sparked widespread violence elsewhere in Northern Ireland, is commonly seen as one of the first major confrontations in the conflict known as the TroubleS