Apprentice Boys of Derry

The Apprentice Boys of Derry are a Protestant fraternal society founded in 1814 and based in the city of Derry, Northern Ireland. Outside Northern Ireland, there are branches in Scotland, England, the Republic of Ireland, Australia and Canada. In 2021, the society had over 10,000 members worldwide, with membership open to Protestant men only. The society aims to commemorate the 1689 Siege of Derry, a failed attempt by the Catholic James II to capture the city, which was at the time a Protestant stronghold. Apprentice Boys parades once regularly led to virulent opposition from the city's Catholic majority, but recently a more conciliatory approach has taken place and now the parades are virtually trouble-free. The 2014 "Shutting of the Gates" parade was described as "the biggest in years" and was violence-free.