Colonel Robert Lundy has become infamous as the archetypal traitor who betrayed the cause of the besieged Protestants in the walled city of Derry in 1688/89. Each December his effigy is ritually burned in memory of the victorious outcome of the battle between Protestant King William and Catholic King James II. It is also as a warning to all potential traitors. Ian Paisley, leader of the DUP, was especially vocal in popularising the term Lundy to defame all those who were deemed guilty of ‘selling out’ in the push for peace after decades of conflict in Northern Ireland. Gregory Campbell, DUP, sums up the depth of feeling when he says: “There is, within the Protestant psyche, deep contempt for people who betray their principles.” But who was the real Lundy and does his name carry the same potency today when compromise is a key component of the new political discourse? Unionist Roy Garland embarks on a personal journey to discover the reality behind the myth.
