A service is to be held in Keady to mark the 90th anniversary of the Apprentice Boys of Derry Mid-Ulster Amalgamated Committee.
The Apprentice Boys of Derry -a fraternal society formed to commemorate the 1689 Siege of Derry – consists of many dozens of branches outside the city of Derry.
The Mid-Ulster Amalgamated Committee, which was formed in 1934, is made up of 26 Branch Clubs from the east Tyrone and Armagh areas and boasts over 1,000 members.
It includes Branch Clubs ranging from Lurgan in the east, Aughnacloy in the west, Dungannon in the north and Keady in the south.
To celebrate the 90 year milestone, the Committee, alongside the Keady ‘No Surrender’ Branch Club, have organised a special Thanksgiving service to take place on Sunday, September 1 at 3.30pm in Keady Orange Hall.
A parade will be held prior to the service, leaving Annvale Gardens at 3pm, led by Aughnagurgan Accordion Band.
The speaker on the day will be Rev Nigel Reid and special pieces of praise will be brought by the Rainey family.
A spokesman for the Keady No Surrender Club said it was “an honour and a privilege” to host the Mid-Ulster Amalgamated Committee in Keady Orange Hall for this historic milestone.
The current Officers at a recent meeting
Mid-Ulster Amalgamated Committee Chairman Gary Whitcroft made an appeal for as many as possible to come along to this event and pay tribute to the men who formed the committee 90 years ago.
He added he was encouraged by the overall increase in membership since Covid and stated the future for the Apprentice Boys of Derry Association in the Mid-Ulster area looked very good, especially with the amount of young men joining.
The Committee was formed at a special meeting held in Keady Orange Hall on Tuesday March 13, 1934, attended by a number of men representing Branch Clubs across Co. Armagh and east Co. Tyrone.
In attendance was: John A Pell from the Armagh Pert Walker Club, John Hughes Thompson from Portadown, Samuel Compton from the Lisnadill No Surrender Club, and William McDonald and Bro William Adams, both from the Keady No Surrender Club.
Mr Pell was in the chair assisted by Mr Hughes Thompson. Mr Thompson explained the purpose of the meeting, and outlined a scheme for the reorganisation of the Amalgamated Clubs of Armagh and Down into a new body known as the Mid-Ulster Amalgamated Committee.
He invited all clubs present to join. The proposal was discussed at length, and everyone agreed to the advantages, particularly in the running of church services. It is unclear from the minutes exactly which clubs signalled their intention to join the new body apart from Keady, whose membership was proposed by Mr William Mc Donald and seconded by Mr William Adams.
