Apprentice Boys of Derry

Apprentice Boys of Derry
Formation1814
Founded atDerry, Ireland
HeadquartersDerry
Region
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Republic of Ireland
England
Canada
Australia
SubsidiariesThe associated clubs of the Apprentice Boys of Derry
Websiteapprenticeboysofderry.org Edit this at Wikidata

The Apprentice Boys of Derry is a Protestant fraternal society with a worldwide membership of over 10,000,[1] founded in 1814 and based in the city of Derry, Northern Ireland. There are branches in Ulster and elsewhere in Ireland, Scotland, England, Australia and Toronto, Canada.[2] The society aims to commemorate the 1689 Siege of Derry when Catholic James II of England and Ireland and VII of Scotland laid siege to the walled city, which was at the time a Protestant stronghold. Apprentice Boys parades once regularly led to virulent opposition from the city's Irish nationalist majority, but recently a more conciliatory approach has taken place and now the parades are virtually trouble-free. The 2014 'Shutting of the Gates' parade was described as "the biggest in years" and was violence-free.[3][4][5]

  1. ^ "About the Association". Apprentice Boys of Derry. Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Lundy's Day: Thousands due to attend Londonderry parade". BBC News. 1 December 2012. Archived from the original on 22 April 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Trouble-free Apprentice Boys parade 'biggest in many years'". The News Letter. Belfast. 11 December 2012. Archived from the original on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  4. ^ Hopes for peaceful march in Derry Archived 9 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine Keiron Tourish, BBC Online, 6 December 2002. Retrieved 28 March 2008
  5. ^ Quiet end to Lundy's Day parade Archived 4 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine BBC Online, 1 September 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2008