EARLIER this month, thousands marched through Derry’s city walls without incident as part of the annual Apprentice Boys parade.
Within hours, this apparent progress in community relations seemed shattered as rioting broke out near the nationalist Bogside area.
Ten police officers were injured and scenes of young people lobbing petrol bombs at PSNI Land Rovers were condemned.
While the SDLP leader Colum Eastwood accused those of orchestrating the disorder of “child abuse,” the hardline republican party Saoradh claimed it was an “inevitable” reaction to the “sectarian hatefest” of the Apprentice Boys parade.
For Billy Moore, the Apprentice Boys General Secretary, this goes against years of working to improve the organisation’s image.
“What happened after the recent parade had nothing to do with us, it could have happened on any day of the week as it does on many occasions in this city,” he told the Irish News.
“To focus on the positive aspect, our parade was immaculate and came off exceptionally well.
“We had a huge turnout of members from through the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia as well.”
He adds that the museum at the Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall is open to all backgrounds and hosts about 40 school visits from the Republic each year.
“I think we’re very conscious of the fact that Londonderry is a city that is 80% Roman Catholic, we’re also conscious that we want to continue with our history, culture and traditions,” he said.
“We have to win the goodwill of many within the Roman Catholic community. That’s why we reach out to try and create that better understanding.
“We may not agree with everyone, but the important thing is that we create that good will.”
Asked about a perception that working-class unionist communities are ignored by Stormont, he said the museum was a symbol of their DIY mentality.
“Sometimes you have to get off your knees and do some work yourself. That’s what we did in Londonderry,” he said.
“We had hundreds, and I mean hundreds, of meetings to secure the funding to construct our heritage centre.
“But nobody does everything for you. What started for us as a hobby and bit of fun turned into a major museum which is now a going concern we have to maintain.
“That takes a lot of work, enthusiasm and passion to keep it going.”
Considering the recent disorder and outbreak of racist intimidation in Belfast, he said the spirit of outreach to other communities was more important than ever.
“I don’t know enough about the riots in Belfast to comment on them, but I do understand peoples’ concerns and frustrations,” he said.
“I really don’t think everyone is against legal migrants that come here to work in our hospitals or other jobs.
“I think people are probably more concerned about illegal immigrants coming to England on boats.
“That’s probably the difficulty that people have at the moment.”
He added:” I welcome, and I’m sure the majority of Apprentice Boys, welcome those doctors and nurses that give up their time to work in our hospitals, so we have nothing against those people.
“Our work is about ensuring the majority of people welcome and tolerate our history and traditions and why we believe it’s important for them to continue.
“That’s important to me, that’s why we’ve got a museum in Londonderry. It is a place of reconciliation where individuals from any background can come in and ask questions and feel at ease before going away with a better understanding.
“There will always be new generations who may have a different opinion. You’ve got to work on changing their views and ensure they accept and respect the culture we commemorate.”
