Apprentice Boys of Derry: Thousands turn out for annual 'Lundy' parade in Londonderry

The annual event marks the anniversary of the 17th Century siege of the city.

More than 25 bands joined the parade through the city on Saturday ahead of a service of thanksgiving and a wreath-laying ceremony. Up to 3,000 people were expected to take part in the parade.

The parade commemorates 13 apprentice boys slamming the mainly Protestant city's gates against King James' advancing Catholic Jacobite army in 1689.

The resulting Siege of Derry lasted 105 days and cost over 10,000 lives, mainly due to starvation.

The commemoration of the events began at midnight on Friday night, with the firing of the ceremonial cannon, symbolising the shutting of the gates against the enemy forces.

A party of members from the organisation then symbolically closed each of the four original gates into the old city to herald in the day's commemorations.

The highlight of the day's events was a parade of up to 3,000 members plus bands parading through the city, which was primarily Protestant at the time of the siege, before the burning of an effigy of Lundy.

Col Robert Lundy was the governor of the city who attempted to surrender to the Jacobite forces.

Apprentice Boys governor Graeme Stenhouse said the parade was "the most important day of the year" for the organisation.

"Many discussions have gone on for 30 years to make these parades [peaceful]," he told the BBC.

"We believe that if we are respectful in the way that we conduct our business then we will get respect from the nationalist community.

"We fully appreciate that we live in a nationalist city but on the other hand we believe we are entitled to celebrate our culture and mark our history."

The parade began in the Waterside area and walked to St Columb's Cathedral for a public service.

Afterwards it moved back to Bishops Street for the ceremonial burning of the effigy of "the siege traitor Lundy".