Keiron TourishBBC News NI north west reporter
BBC
The parade is annually held on the first Saturday of December
The annual Apprentice Boys parade and commemoration is underway in Londonderry.
It marks the anniversary of the start of the 17th-century siege of the city during which thousands of people died.
The event is held annually to remember the 13 apprentices who locked the walled city’s gates against the approaching army of the Catholic King James II in December 1688.
Around 2,500 Apprentice Boys are participating in the parade which will end later with the traditional burning of an effigy of Lt Col Robert Lundy.
Members of the loyal order are being accompanied in and around the city centre by 24 bands
Visiting members of the Apprentice Boys arrived in the city on Saturday morning and made their way across Craigavon Bridge from the Waterside ahead of the main parade.
Members of the loyal order are being accompanied in and around the city centre by 24 bands.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have advised of some traffic disruption during the day.
On Saturday evening, the traditional burning of an effigy of the traitor Lundy will take place near the city centre.
William Walker asked those taking part to ‘parade with dignity’
The governor of the Apprentice Boys of Derry, William Walker, said the event is a “solemn day of commemoration”.
“All those visiting should recall the actions of the 13 young apprentices in 1688 and reflect on how simple courage and determination can change the course of history,” he added.
Mr Walker praised all those who worked behind the scenes in the run up to the parade.
The parade was preceded at midnight on Friday with a symbolic firing of canon from the city’s walls, while a small number of Apprentice Boys also retraced the steps of the original 13 apprentices who in 1688 made their way to the four original gates of the city.
The parade is one of two annual events marking the Siege of Derry
‘All cultures should be respected’
A service of thanksgiving will also be held in St Columb’s Cathedral on Saturday afternoon and a wreath laid at the Siege Heroes’ Mound in the cathedral’s grounds.
Mr Walker said all cultures should be respected.
“Everybody can have their own celebrations or parades or marches and stuff like that,” he said
“I would advise anyone who wants to come to this city to cause any type of bother to stay in the house.”
The Apprentice Boys made their way over Craigavon Bridge from the Waterside.
Why do the Apprentice Boys parade in December?
The Siege of Derry in 1689 is seen as a pivotal moment in European history.
It happened against the background of the deposed Catholic King James II’s attempt to regain his crown from his Protestant son-in-law, King William III.
The parade, now held on the first Saturday of December, marks the shutting of the gates on 7 December 1688 by 13 apprentices who locked the walled city’s gates against King James’s advancing army.
The Apprentice Boys hold their main parade – known as the Relief of Derry – in the city in August each year to mark the end of the 105-day siege in 1689.
Why does Lundy get burned at the parade?
Lt Col Robert Lundy held the title of governor of Derry during the early stages of the siege.
His name has become synonymous with treachery among unionists ever since, due to his offer to surrender to the Jacobite army five months into the siege.
An effigy of Lundy, known as Lundy the Traitor, is burnt in Bishop Street in Derry city centre every year.
What will the route be and are roads closed?
Those taking part in the parade will assemble at the North West Transport Hub in the Waterside at around 11:00 GMT ahead of the start of the parade at 11:30.
Apprentice Boys’ clubs and bands will march along Duke Street and across the top deck of the Craigavon bridge to the Memorial Hall, the headquarters of the loyal order.
At 13:15, the parade will leave Society Street and make its way along Bishop Street, the Diamond, Ferryquay Street, Wapping Lane, Carlisle Road, Kennedy Street, Hawkin Street, London Street into the grounds of St. Columb’s Cathedral.
The parade will reform at around 15:15 and make its way from Bishop Street and around the Fountain estate before returning to Bishop Street via Carlisle Road, Ferryquay Street and The Diamond.
The effigy of Lundy will be burned at Bishop Street around 16:00.
At around 16:30 the parade will return to the Waterside via the Craigavon bridge.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the city centre will remain open during the parade and signage will advise drivers of diversions and closures.
The top deck of Craigavon bridge and Duke Street will be closed for a short time to facilitate the parade.
