Apprentice Boys - Marching for the Future

by Tommy Cheevers

A few years ago it was almost expected and accepted that confrontation and conflict would be the order of the day at the Relief of Derry celebrations in the Maiden City. How far we have come can easily be measured. The Maiden City festival organised by the Apprentice Boys is growing in quality and this year’s events were attended by more people than ever. It is becoming more difficult to book a hotel room during the week’s festivities and, in particular, on the week end of the Grand Finale when thousands of Apprentice Boys accompanied by over 170 bands parade through the city. This makes the parade the biggest in Northern Ireland.

The resource drain on the policing service has been much reduced and a different atmosphere prevails. John Hume stood in the “Diamond” and watched the parade. Only a few years ago his presence would have been enough to spark a negative reaction from some quarters. Many of the routes taken by various Clubs and bands that have seen contention and conflict were successfully and peacefully paraded, again with a reduction in police resources. Even more visible was the fact that the police officers were not dressed in riot kit and this added to the relaxed atmosphere.

The Apprentice Boys have been an example to the rest of our society that understanding does not mean agreement and that sharing space instead of contesting it is the way forward. The Apprentice Boys regard themselves as guardians of Civil and Religious liberties for all and therefore support the right of those who wish to protest to do so That protest must be conducted with the same discipline that is expected of those on parade. In other words peacefully and lawfully.

Of course there are areas where movement has not happened such as the Ormeau Road. Is that lack of movement due to the depth of hurt of people in that area who have lost relatives during the years of conflict or to a more sectarian attitude? Should we in Northern Ireland measure how much a community has suffered by the number of people killed or should we recognise that maybe a community’s attitude is determined by the amount of hurt it has absorbed? Will the rest of society decide it is time to move forward and leave hurting communities behind or wait for them to catch up?

What is different in the Maiden City that led to an understanding? The Apprentice Boys believe in civil and religious liberties and the Bogside residents were to the front in the early days of the civil rights campaign. How could they fight for civil rights yet deny them to others?
Do all Republicans believe in civil rights for all? Do all Republicans believe in equality, liberty and fraternity for all? If they do not ,are they just Nationalists struggling for an ethnic identity that has no room for me or are Republicans fighting for a civic identity that can embrace everyone but allows me to be? Help me to understand even if I may not agree.

One thing the past few months has shown is that while the political process is at stalemate, the peace process is moving on. Many people worked damn hard on the Interfaces to ensure that peace prevailed. In some areas it was reciprocated by Nationalists/Republicans and some areas it was not.
Still, when you add in the weather we enjoyed you can honestly say the summers are getting better.

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