麻豆约拍

Tim McGarry and David Hume go back to 1689 and the start of the Williamite war in Ireland. They take a look at the story of the siege of Derry and ask: Was Lundy really a traitor?

They visit the Maiden City, home to the Protestant Apprentice Boys of Derry, who in 1688 shut the gates of Derry to the advancing army of the Catholic King James. Every year since this event, the Apprentice boys ritually burn an effigy of Robert Lundy, the governor of Londonderry who fled the city and who they regard as a traitor.

Over the years, the term 'Lundy' became a byword among Protestant loyalists for anyone who was seen to be a traitor to the cause. But does Lundy deserve his bad reputation? Historians might differ but today's Apprentice boys definitely think so.

Tim and David hang out with 'the boys' to see the devoted preparation that goes into the making of the Lundy effigy and ends with the burning of Lundy every December in the centre of Derry. They discover that whilst it has its roots in the old conflict between Protestants and Catholics, in Ireland it has become a cultural event and a fun day out.