Maiden City Festival 2003 |
Sunday 3rd August
marked the start of a week long series of events to celebrate
the culture of the Apprentice Boys of Derry and the wider
Protestant/Loyalist Community. The Maiden City Festival
has been running for a few years and is now a well oiled and
very professionally staged cultural extravaganza. The
Festival began as a weekend event with a few small efforts to
enhance the traditional Relief of Derry Parade - but through
the hard work and vision of the Maiden Festival Committee has
become the Jewel in the Crown of the Apprentice Boys
Association.
Education as well as
entertainment has been as much a part of the Festival in
recent years with the W F Marshall Summer School being
over-subscribed and now participants receive accreditation for
the course which is internationally recognised. The
array of activities include Bluegrass music, Ulster-Scots
poetry and music, the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra, Willie
Drennan, a play by Sam Starrett, as well as a host of
family and community orientated events based on and around the
famous Walls and other areas of Londonderry.
Full details of all
events are available on the Official Apprentice Boys of Derry
website and the original promotional leaflet is available
as a downloadable file. For details of ticket
availability you can contact by writing to or calling at the
Maiden City Festival, The Memorial Hall, 13 Society Street,
Londonderry BT48 6PJ - the office will be staffed from 10 am
to 1pm and 2 pm to 4 pm until 8th August 2003 and can be
contacted by telephone on 028 7134 9250 during office hours.
|
Liverpool & Southport Parade
Report |
On Saturday 14th June
the Liverpool based Branch Clubs held their Annual parade in
Liverpool and Southport. Various feeder parades wound
their way around the city to meet up at Jubilee Drive for the
main parade in Liverpool. At 10 am the parade made it's
way from Jubilee Drive through the city centre led by
Bargeddie Thistle Flute Band from Scotland.
Eventually after passing through the city centre we paraded
the "Chinatown" area of Liverpool and were warmly received by
many spectators in this truly multicultural city - once at the
end of Chinatown we boarded the fleet of buses to make our way
to Southport.
The journey to Southport
is just long enough to relax and enjoy catching up on
acquaintances built up over the years and a wee sing song
too. The Club which I was walking with was the Liverpool Campsie
Club - we have been friendly with this Club for the
past 3 years when we visited Liverpool for the President &
Secretaries Conference. This year the Club was going to
be accompanied by the excellent Blackscull Flute Band from
Glasgow.
Assembling at the Bus
Station the parade made it's way through the seaside resort's
streets and along the seafront promenade to the park which is
near a Funfair and amusements. Other Bands on Parade
included local favourites the Imperial Corps of Drums and
Liverpool Volunteers Flute Band as well as the entertaining
Highfield Loyalists from Bootle - the Ulster bands on parade
included Monkstown YCV and Shankill Star Flute Band.
During the interval of
over two hours it was time to relax and enjoy a meal in one of
the many hotels in the company of Club Members, Blackscull FB
and their families. Back to Park in time to get
organised for the return parade of Southport as well as a
quick ice cream in the scorching sunshine. The return
parade in Southport seems to attract an even larger crowd of
spectators 8 or 10 deep in places - then back on the bus for
Liverpool.
This year the host Club
was the Liverpool Murray Club based in the Toxteth and South
Liverpool area so the return parade was through this area,
taking in home of Everton FC along the way! My own
parade then finished back at the Liverpool Provincial Orange
Hall - later that night the Blackscull entertained us again
but this time they put away their marches and played some of
the best Blood and Thunder I have ever heard - a great ending
to a great day and weekend.
|
Continued Growth for Apprentice
Boys |
In
recent years due to strong leadership and a clear vision the
Apprentice Boys Association has continued to grow not just in
numbers but in the number of Branch Clubs around the
world. As well as the traditional strong holds like
Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, Canada and the Republic
of Ireland the Apprentice Boys have succeeded in recruiting
members from countries where there are currently no Branch
Clubs such as Wales, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina
and Holland. The Apprentice Boys residing in countries
where there is currently no Branch Club structure look forward
to the day when the strength of numbers enables them to apply
for a new Charter to open their own Branch Club.
Branch Clubs like the Toronto
Murray Club have acted as a "safe resting place", being the
closest point of contact for those living in the "Americas" -
there is a particularly strong interest in the United States
where our Ulster-Scots cousins wish to retain a "link with the
Old Country". This is due in no small measure to the
positive and media friendly approach taken by the Apprentice
Boys leadership in recent years as well as a rediscovery of an
"Ulster-Scots" identity by many Americans who have realised
they are not "Irish-Americans" but true sons of Ulster.
|
New Branch Club To Open in
Donegal |
Apprentice Boys from the East Donegal area
are on the verge of opening a new "No Surrender" Branch Club
in the Irish Republic.
The Branch Club
will be called Newtowncunningham No Surrender Branch Club and
are keen to hear from anyone in the East Donegal area who
would be interested in joining them.
There was
previously a Branch Club in Newtowncunningham until the 1970's
when because of intimidation and attacks by Republicans the
Branch Club was forced to disband.
If anyone is
interested in joining the new Branch Club they can click on
the email link below and details will be passed on in
confidence to the County Donegal brethren.
Click here to send your details!
|
Nokia Mobile Ringtone |
Derry's Walls
4c1, 4a1,
4c2, 4#a1, 4a1, 2a1, 4g1, 32-, 4g1, 4f1, 4a1, 4g1, 4f1, 2e1,
8-,4c1, 4c2, 4a1, 4f1 4e1, 4e1, 4d1, 4#a1, 32-, 4#a1, 4a1,
4f1, 4g1, 4c2, 2f1
TEMPO 180
| |
Welcome & Editorial |
Welcome to the inaugural
issue of the Crimson Banner (Online). The purpose
of this online newsletter is to help improve
communication within and without the Apprentice Boys
Association.
Primarily the main
target readership is members of the Apprentice Boys of
Derry. There is also a secondary audience of those
who are sympathetic to our cause or who wish to learn
more about the Association, it's raison d'etre and the
activities which are organised by Apprentice
Boys.
Hopefully readers will
find the publication educational, entertaining and
empowering.
The month of August is
one of the busiest and most exciting times of the year
for Apprentice Boys - the Maiden City Festival
runs from the start of August until Saturday
9th August 2003 when the climax and grand finale being
the 314th Relief of Derry parade with over 250 Clubs and
almost 180 bands making this an event to rival anything
the rest of the world has to offer.
A big thank you goes to
Andy and Tim
from the British Loyalist Newsletter for all
their help and advice and for helping with publication,
distribution and promotion - without these two genuine
Loyalists you would not be reading this. Another
big thank you is extended to the webmaster of the Official ABoD Website for
also assisting in hosting the archive and helping in
promotion. |
Subscribe
Now! |
|
Recommended Links |
One of the most popular
Loyalist sites on the internet is that of Calton
Protestant Defenders LOL 221, Glasgow - this site has a
host of interactive features including the usual polls,
message boards, etc plus an email list and very active
chat room for members of the site. www.calton221.vze.com
Kilcluney Volunteers Flute
Band run a well established and very professional site -
a must for those with an interest in Loyalist marching
bands! www.kvfb.co.uk
Loyalist Music 2 - is a new
site just launched for those who want to share Loyalist
music files and correspond with fellow Loyalists around
the world - the original site was attacked by
Republicans and subsequently taken down - but it is hard
to keep a good site down! LoyalistMusicII
|
In The Next Issue... |
The next issue of the
Crimson Banner will take the form of a "Parade Special"
with full report and pics from the Relief of Derry
Parade.
Please feel free to submit
articles, pictures etc for inclusion - the Crimson
Banner welcomes and encourages participation from all
Apprentice Boys and Clubs - help promote your Club's
events etc.
We would also ask
you to forward a copy of the Crimson Banner to friends
and Brethren who are online or perhaps print off a copy
for others to
read! | | |