The
Apprentice Boys of Derry is a
Protestant fraternal society with a worldwide membership of over 10,000, founded in 1814 and based in the city of
Derry,
Northern Ireland. There are clubs and branches in
Ulster and elsewhere in Ireland, Scotland, England and Toronto, Canada. The society aims to commemorate the 1689
Siege of Derry when
Catholic James II of England and Ireland and VII of Scotland laid siege to the walled city which was at the time a Protestant stronghold. Apprentice Boys parades once regularly led to virulent opposition from the city's Irish nationalist 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.