ABOD Parade

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No Surrender!

The cry that signalled the start of the resistance in Derry in 1688 has a blunt but brave force that much of the modern day misappropriated braggadocio belittles. When the young apprentice boys slammed the gates shut as the city fathers dithered, they changed history not only here but more probably throughout the UK and possibly Europe.

Their tale is long forgotten outside NI and poorly known even here. Although facing down a handpicked army in Antrim's Redshanks, they showed remarkable character when faced with the charge of "Surrender or Die" - the indecisive deliberating amongst the protestant leaders of Ulster has remained to this day though.

The Seige was the third Londonderry survived and took the lives of a third of the inhabitants within the Walls. In December 1688 when the gates were locked there were 8000 people in the city. By April 1689, when James II himself arrived with the artillery to begin the Seige in earnest, 30000 people had crammed in. 8000-10000 would die in those 105 days before relief came in August. They inhabitants even ran out of rats to eat.

The Maiden City (so called because it is the only city in the UK to have withstood a seige) has had a checkered past since then and much has changed. Some would say much hasn't - there's an ill looking pallor to many Derry folk dandering around Foyleside...

The Apprentice Boys of Derry was formed to commemorate the Seige and the Relief and today was their annual celebration. The girls had never seen a full loyal order parade so we decamped to Londonderry to watch 'the bands'. Thankfully we had my Nana to provide copious amounts of tea, coffee and buns. It was a full house and numerous visitors througout the day added to the sense of an event.

As the parade finally reached Bond Street, we took up a position at the top of the road to watch the procession. Leanne thought it would take about 5minutes to pass so after the first hour she seemed rather surprised. The only downside is the boozing though. Some of the spectators are embarrassing at best, a pain in the arse at worst. If this was the essence of Northern Ireland's protestant culture it would make one despair. I have a feeling that it's replicated across the divide though and is more symptamatic of society than of merely Bond Street's less salubrous residents.

All said, the parade is a better spectacle than the Belfast Twelfth in many ways - less paramilitary crap in the bands, larger representation in the clubs and less triumphalism and more of a cultural feel. I still think there's much more that could be done to turn the marching season into a truly international tourist magnet but at least the APOD are far ahead of the OO in this respect.

With Notting Hill a fortnight away, there is a part of me thinks we are missing a trick here. Then again, maybe keeping it low level means we'll always get a free space at the top of Ebrington Street Lower to watch it at our leisure.

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