Summer School participants heard Protestant point of view on city

“One thing we have totally agreed on is, should there be difficulties, should there be occasions whenever something untoward occurs, then we will sit down together again and we will look at it and we will discuss it and we will ensure that is taken into consideration for future events and parades. Our ongoing conversations will continue.”

The measured and thoughtful words of Billy Moore, the general secretary of the Apprentice Boys of Derry illustrated, perhaps, the progress made in the city since the contentious parades which took place here back in the day.

Speaking to the Derry News, Billy, who was one of the panellists at the Bloody Sunday Trust’s Conflict Transformation Seminar, said such an approach was crucial “primarily to ensure more sinister people do not try to enter a void that may be created and take us back to the difficult times of the past”.

Inaugural Peace and Conflict International Summer School in Derry

'Derry stands up against inequality and struggles for social justice' - Maeve McLaughlin, Bloody Sunday Trust

He added: “I got involved in the Peace and Conflict International Summer School because I felt the story of the city needed to be conveyed from the viewpoint of the Apprentice Boys and Protestants as well.

“We are part of the resolution. In the past, we may have been seen by some as part of the problem but we are very much part of the resolution and our voice has to be heard and our story told as well.

“I think those people from the Balkan regions who were present at the Summer School were interested in the city and listening to my story and listening to how we as a minority community in Londonderry were able to continue with our culture, history, traditions, identity. They were interested in how that accommodation was reached.

“Hopefully, they have learned some lessons from us and can take them back to their own countries and, I’m not saying copy us, but at least use our model to find an accommodation.”

Billy revealed he had joined the Apprentice Boys in September 1971, when he was 16 years of age.

He added: “I had become interested in history and obviously the Apprentice Boys is all about the Siege of Derry. I had read about the Siege and about the events which took place during it and that gave me the inspiration and the motivation to retain membership of the Apprentice Boys. 

“As time went past, I was elected into various positions. In 1991, I became Governor of the Association but I stood down in 1993 to become general secretary. I have been general secretary of the Apprentice Boys since 1993, just over 30 years. I have served my apprenticeship there alright.”

During that time, Billy said there had been both good and difficult occasions.

“Obviously one of the difficult occasions was when there was opposition to our parades in Londonderry. Disturbances and rioting broke out after those parades, which created millions of pounds worth of damage to the fabric of the city and obviously no tourists or visitors wanted to come to a location where there is always the possibility or the potential for trouble.

“We felt something had to occur to ensure our parades continued in their normal traditional way because the Apprentice Boys always felt the history of the Siege was on the Westbank of the Foyle and for us not to parade on the Westbank of the Foyle would mean the entire association would be meaningless, would serve absolutely no purpose.

“The headquarters of the Apprentice Boys is on the Westbank. St Columb’s Cathedral, where the defenders would have worshipped and prayed during the Siege and the Walls of Londonderry are on the Westbank.

“All of our history, culture and identity is based on the Westbank of the Foyle. We felt it necessary and we felt it right and proper that we had to secure that history and culture of parading on the Westbank.”

Billy added to do so, it was obvious the Apprentice Boys had to win the goodwill of the majority of the Catholic population.

“So back around 1997, 1998, we embarked on a range of meetings with various representatives from the Roman Catholic community,” he said. “We also met with traders in the city centre.

“This all took place to try to explain our reason for parading in the Westbank because many people in the Roman Catholic community felt that our parades were just a means of coat-trailing and triumphalism.

“They did not really recognise the history and the reason for parading in December and in August.

“Many traders felt we paraded in December just to be disruptive but whenever we explained that the gates were shut on December 7, 1688, and that was our purpose and reason for parading in December, they understood.

“To try to reach a compromise with traders, we moved the December parade to the first Saturday in December, which was generally welcomed by everyone in the city, specially by traders and shoppers who recognised we were moving away from usually the last Saturday shopping day before Christmas. This was warmly welcomed,” said Billy.

Following failed shuttle mediation between the Apprentice Boys and the Bogside Residents’ Group, organised by the Parades Commission, the late John Hume chaired a number of face-to-face meetings, which also failed.

“It was then two prominent local businessmen, Brendan Duddy and Garvan O’Doherty, both of whom had invested quite an amount of money in the city and invested quite a lot of time and effort trying to promote our town, believed an accommodation could be reached.

“They organised a series of meetings over many, many months. Some of these initial meetings were pretty frosty and there was accusation and counter accusation hurled at each side but through ongoing discussions, a degree of trust had built up and a degree of understanding had been created.

“We finally reached an accommodation which was welcomed by everyone. It ensured that our traditional parades continued on the Westbank of the Foyle.

“Sadly Brendan Duddy has passed away now but Jim Roddy, the City Centre Manager, now co-chairs those discussions and those conversations alongside Garvan O’Doherty.

“So the discussions continue and I think, we all agree, it is difficult to have everything but the solution to any difficulty is dialogue. Dialogue for the sake of dialogue does not work but I think in our situation, in our city, dialogue worked because we wanted to see our town prosper, we wanted to see it develop, we wanted to see it as a tourist destination and we all wanted to lay a part in that, so dialogue was important.

“The Apprentice Boys were formed in 1714 and reformed in 1814. Our headquarters, the Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall was built in 1877, so we have part of the fabric of our city a lot longer than many other people so we have every right to our traditions and culture but we also accept that with rights come responsibilities and we understand the responsibilities that we have to accept and resolve so we  have peaceful occasions all our parades in our town.”