There have been calls for calm in advance of tomorrow's Apprentice Boys Lundy’s Day parade in Derry.
The parade, which commemorates the start of the Siege of Derry, is the first since the loyalist Clyde Valley flute band wore Parachute Regiment and Soldier F insignia when they marched through the city in August. The Larne-based band’s actions sparked a furious reaction in the city and threatened the 'Derry Model', a long-established protocol designed to facilitate contentious parades.
It was revealed last month in The Irish News that members of the band had decided not to take part in this week’s commemoration. In a submission to the Parades Commission, the band sought permission for a parade in Larne but ruled out travelling to Derry.
The decision followed a number of meetings between various groups with the Apprentice Boys’ leadership. These groups included the Bloody Sunday Trust and Derry businessman, Garvan O’Doherty who helped set up the original Derry Model.
Mr O’Doherty said the meetings were designed to restore mutual respect for all.
In a statement issued along with Derry City Centre Initiative, Jim Roddy, Mr O’Doherty said: “We are extremely encouraged by the positive nature of all of the meetings that we have hosted and the understanding that these parades would occur in, a climate of respect for all traditions in the city and would avoid behaviour which adds no cultural value or that detracts from the commemorative and historical nature of the parades.”
