Marching bands flood the streets of Derry to commemorate the Battle of the Boyne. Despite the silence this colourful film captures the spectacle of the Orange Lodges on parade.

The imposing walls of Derry city provide a suitably grand backdrop as a uniformed fife and drum bands parade in tightly-drilled formations. Each year, hundreds of Orange Institution parades take place throughout Northern Ireland. The biggest of these take place on 'The Twelfth'. These annual 12th of July Orange Order parades are to mark the victory of the Protestant king, William of Orange, over the Catholic king, James II, at the Battle of the Boyne, in 1690.

A multitude of lodges and bands feature in the film. We see the Apprentice Boys of Derry and the 'No Surrender' Flute Band parade past the Guildhall. Elsewhere, there is an appearance by the Faulat Girl Pipers of Belfast. In the original sound track they are described as bringing to the parade ‘a beauty, glamour and fascination all of its own’. This film was created by the Scottish amateur film maker J.W. Stirling during his time in Derry. With a let’s see what happens attitude his experiments with soundtracks met with more success in later films. It comes from the collection of National Museums Northern Ireland.

Directed and Edited by J.W. Stirling 

Commentary: Rev. F.W. Orr

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