A flat plain extends eastwards from Derry City , skirting Lough Foyle, to Limavady on the River Roe and the university city of Coleraine on the River Bann. To the north is the Atlantic coast with marvelous beaches, including the longest on the whole island, Magilligan, and popular resorts like Castlerock and Portstewart.
Inland, there are hills, glens and river valleys, backed by the Sperrin Mountains , with well-wooded areas that are a legacy of the Plantation . Across Lough Foyle is County Donegal in the Republic and that county’s land border is just outside Derry City.
Derry City
Named after the Irish “doire” meaning “oak grove,” Derry is the second largest city in Northern Ireland , and is delightful, standing on a hill on the estuary of the river Foyle, which divides it in two. The area called Cityside includes at its core the only intact medieval walled city in Ireland or the British Isles . Facing it across the river is the Waterside area.
The city’s origins go back to 546 when St. Columba founded a monastery on the hill, before heading off in 563 to Iona to convert Scotland and Northumbria to Christianity. The English first arrived in 1566 after the revolt by Shane O’Neill. They installed a garrison, which was wiped out the following year after the arsenal accidentally exploded. In 1613, Derry ’s charter gave it a mayor and corporation and added London to its name – a bone of contention with nationalists who are the majority in the area.
After a couple of rebellions, King James I cajoled the City of London into taking on the responsibility of sorting out not just Derry but its surrounding region. It did so by creating a new county called Londonderry and setting up The Honourable The Irish Society, a cumbersome title for the body that controlled Derry , Coleraine and Limavady, and divided the rest of the county between the 12 ancient London livery companies. It was the Society that built the walls in 1613-18 to defend the city. The Siege of Derry (1688-89) was one of the most important events in Ireland ’s history and still has influences today.
During World War II Derry was a naval base and airbase, with 20,000 sailors of different nationalities stationed here, and was chosen as the site for the surrender of the German U-boat fleet.
Today, there’s an atmosphere of optimism in Derry and the city buzzes with life. The peace process has brought investment, and many new buildings, which fit in remarkably well with the Georgian townhouses and grand public buildings, including the Guildhall, and the smaller houses and shops cramming its narrow side streets. It’s an artistic city, with theaters, galleries and other cultural centers and a number of annual festivals. Its people, with their gentle accent, are very welcoming.
Walls of Derry
Before doing anything else, take a walk along the walls of the medieval city. The circuit is a mile long, and you get a good look at the layout of the city below you, including Free Derry corner at the entrance to the Bogside, where in January 1972 one of the most controversial events of the Troubles took place – known as Bloody Sunday – when 14 people on a civil rights march were shot dead by the British Army.
Among the best-preserved city fortifications in Europe , the walls rise to a height of 26 feet in places and are 30 feet at their widest. They were built in 1618 to defend the Plantation city (see page 14) and have never been breached, despite three major sieges. The most famous one lasted 105 days in 1689, when a shocking 7,000 of the 30,000 inside died of starvation.
The original gates are Shipquay, Butcher, Bishop and Ferryquay, the latter closed by the apprentice boys against the army of King James II. Three other gates were added later – Magazine, Castle and New Gate. The scale of the city within them will surprise you – it’s tiny, with all roads converging on the central square called the Diamond, and you can explore it easily.
St. Columb’s Anglican Cathedral , built in 1633, is within the walls, and worth a stop.
Don’t miss The Tower Museum, inside the city walls at the Magazine Gate, one of the most interesting anywhere, and you’ll see why it has won awards. It covers the whole history of Derry and does so in an accessible way, managing to tell both sides of the story, right up to recent political divisions, with admirable balance .
