No city in Ireland connects the kaleidoscope of historical dots more colorfully than Derry. From a leafy monastic hamlet to a Viking-pillaged port, from a cannonball-battered siege survivor to an Industrial Revolution sweatshop, from an essential WWII naval base to a wrenching flashpoint of sectarian Troubles...Derry has seen it all.
Though Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, this pivotal city has a more diverse history and a prettier setting. Derry was a vibrant city back when Belfast was just a mudflat. With roughly a third of Belfast’s population (95,000), Derry feels more welcoming and manageable to visitors.
The town is the mecca of Ulster Unionism. When Ireland was being divvied up, the River Foyle was the logical border between the North and the Republic. But, for sentimental and economic reasons, the North kept Derry, which is otherwise on the Republic’s side of the river. Consequently, this predominantly Catholic-Nationalist city was much contested throughout the Troubles.
Even its name is disputed. While most of its population and its city council call it “Derry,” some maps, road signs, and all UK train schedules use “Londonderry,” the name on its 1662 royal charter and the one favored by Unionists. I once asked a Northern Ireland rail employee for a ticket to “Derry”; he replied that there was no such place, but he would sell me one to “Londonderry.” I’ll call it Derry in this book since that’s what the majority of the city’s inhabitants do.
The past 15 years have brought some refreshing changes. Manned British Army surveillance towers were taken down in 2006, and most British troops finally departed in mid-2007, after 38 years in Northern Ireland. In June 2011, a new, curvy pedestrian bridge across the River Foyle was completed. Locals dubbed it the Peace Bridge because it links the predominantly Protestant Waterside (east bank) with the predominantly Catholic Cityside (west bank). Today, you can feel comfortable wandering the streets and enjoying this “legend-Derry” city.
If just passing through (say, on your way to Portrush—see the next chapter), it takes a few hours to see the essential Derry sights: Visit the Tower Museum and catch some views from the town wall.
With more time, spend a night in Derry, so you can see the powerful Bogside murals and take a walking tour around the town walls—you’ll appreciate this underrated city. With two nights in Derry, consider crossing back into the Republic for a scenic driving loop through part of remote County Donegal (see here).
The River Foyle flows north, slicing Derry into eastern and western chunks. The old town walls and almost all worthwhile sights are on the west side. (The tiny train station and Ebrington Square—at the end of the Peace Bridge—are the main reasons to spend time on the east side.) Waterloo Place and the adjacent Guildhall Square, just outside the north corner of the old city walls, are the pedestrian hubs of city activity. The Strand Road area extending north from Waterloo Place makes a comfortable home base, with the majority of lodging and restaurant suggestions within a block or two. The Diamond (main square) and its War Memorial statue mark the heart of the old city within the walls.
The TI sits on the riverfront and rents bikes (£5/2 hours, £8/4 hours, £12/8 hours), and can book bus and walking tours (Mon-Sat 9:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-17:00, closes earlier in off-season; 44 Foyle Street, tel. 028/7126-7284, www.visitderry.com).
By Train: Next to the river on the east side of town, Derry’s little end-of-the-line train station (no storage lockers) has service to Portrush, Belfast, and Dublin. Each arriving train is greeted by free shuttle buses to Ulsterbus Station on the west side of town, a couple of minutes’ walk south of Guildhall Square on Foyle Street (luggage storage at post office around corner in same building, fee based on bag size, Mon-Fri 9:30-17:30—beware of lunch closure, closed Sat-Sun). Otherwise, it’s a £5 taxi ride to Guildhall Square. The same free shuttle service leaves Ulsterbus Station 15 minutes before each departing train. Unfortunately, there’s not yet a footpath from the train station to the pedestrian Peace Bridge.
By Bus: All intercity buses stop at the Ulsterbus Station, on Foyle Street close to Guildhall Square.
By Car: Drivers stopping for a few hours can park at the Foyleside parking garage across from the TI (£1/hour, £3/4 hours, Mon-Sat 8:00-19:00 or later, Sun from 12:00, tel. 028/7137-7575). Drivers staying overnight can ask about parking at their B&B, or try the Quayside parking garage behind the Travelodge (£0.80/hour, £3/4 hours, £8 additional for overnight, daily 7:30-21:00, closes earlier on weekends).
Money: Danske Bank is on Guildhall Square and the Bank of Ireland is on Strand Road.
Bookstore: Foyle Books is a dusty little pleasure for random browsing (Mon-Sat 11:00-17:00, closed Sun, 12 Magazine Street at entrance to Craft Village, tel. 028/7137-2530).
Laundry: Bubbles has drop-off service—bring it in the morning, pick up later that day (Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00, Sat from 10:00, closed Sun, 141 Strand Road, tel. 028/7136-3366).
Taxi: Try City Cabs (tel. 028/7126-4466), The Taxi Company (tel. 028/7126-2626), or Foyle Taxis (tel. 028/7127-9999).
Car Rental: Enterprise is handy (70 Clooney Road, tel. 028/7186-1699, www.enterprise.co.uk). Another option is Desmond Motors (173 Strand Road, tel. 028/7136-7136, www.desmondmotors.co.uk).
McCrossan’s City Tours leads insightful hour-long walks, giving a rounded view of the city’s history. Tours depart from 11 Carlisle Road, just below Ferryquay Gate (£4; daily at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, and 16:00; tel. 028/7127-1996, mobile 077-1293-7997, www.derrycitytours.com, derrycitytours@aol.com). They also offer private group tours (£60).
Bogside History Tours offers walks led by Bogside residents who lost loved ones in the tragic events of Bloody Sunday (£6, £9 combo-ticket with Museum of Free Derry; April-Sept daily at 11:00 and 13:00, Mon-Fri also at 15:00; depart from in front of the Guildhall, mobile 077-3145-0088 or 078-0056-7165, www.bogsidehistorytours.com, paul@bogsidehistorytours.com). Tour guides also offer various taxi tours (£25/hour, call or email for options).
City Sightseeing’s double-decker buses are a good option for a general overview of Derry. The one-hour loop covers both sides of the river (seven stops overall), including the Guildhall, the old city walls, political wall murals, cathedrals, and former shirt factories. Your ticket is good for 24 hours (£12.50, pay driver, bus departs April-Sept daily on the hour 10:00-16:00 from in front of TI and Guildhall Square, tel. 028/7137-0067, www.citysightseeingderry.com).
City Sightseeing also offers trips from Derry to the Giant’s Causeway, Dunluce Castle, Old Bushmills Distillery, and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge in County Antrim (£25, price does not include Bushmills entry, runs daily May-Sept, depart TI at 10:00, return by 17:00, minimum 10 people). In addition, they offer tours to Glenveagh National Park in County Donegal (depart TI at 9:00, return by 15:00, minimum 10 people). You can book any of their tours online or by phone.
Though calm today, Derry is stamped by years of tumultuous conflict. These two self-guided walks (each taking less than an hour) will increase your understanding of the town’s history. Walk the Walls, starting on the old city walls and ending at the Anglican Cathedral, focuses on Derry’s early days. My Bogside Murals Walk guides you to the city’s compelling murals, which document the time of the Troubles. These tours, each worth ▲▲, can be done separately or linked, depending on your time.
(See “Derry” map.)
Squatting determinedly in the city center, the old city walls of Derry (built 1613-1618 and still intact, except for wider gates to handle modern vehicles) hold an almost mythic place in Irish history.
It was here in 1688 that a group of brave apprentice boys, some of whom had been shipped to Derry as orphans after the great fire of London in 1666, made their stand. They slammed the city gates shut in the face of the approaching Catholic forces of deposed King James II. With this act, the boys galvanized the city’s indecisive Protestant defenders inside the walls.
Months of negotiations and a grinding 105-day siege followed, during which a third of the 20,000 refugees and defenders crammed into the city perished. The siege was finally broken in 1689, when supply ships broke through a boom stretched across the River Foyle. The sacrifice and defiant survival of the city turned the tide in favor of newly crowned Protestant King William of Orange, who arrived in Ireland soon after and defeated James at the pivotal Battle of the Boyne.
To fully appreciate the walls, take a walk on top of them (free and open from dawn to dusk). Almost 20 feet high and at least as thick, the walls form a mile-long oval loop that you can cover in less than an hour. But the most interesting section is the half-circuit facing the Bogside, starting at Magazine Gate (stairs face the Tower Museum Derry inside the walls) and finishing at Bishop’s Gate.
• Enter the walls at Magazine Gate and find the stairs opposite the Tower Museum. Once atop the walls, head left.
Walk the wall as it heads uphill, snaking along the earth’s contours. In the row of buildings on the left (just before crossing over Castle Gate), you’ll see an arch entry into the Craft Village, an alley lined with a cluster of cute shops and cafés that showcase the economic rejuvenation of Derry (Mon-Sat 9:30-17:30, closed Sun).
• After crossing over Butcher Gate, stop in front of the grand building with the four columns to view the...
First Derry Presbyterian Church: This impressive-looking building is the second church to occupy this site. The first was built by Queen Mary in the 1690s to thank the Presbyterian community for standing by their Anglican brethren during the dark days of the famous siege. That church was later torn down to make room for today’s stately Neoclassical, red-sandstone church finished in 1780. Over the next 200 years, time took its toll on the structure, which was eventually closed due to dry rot and Republican firebombings. But in 2011, the renovated church reopened to a chorus of cross-community approval (yet one more sign of the slow reconciliation taking place in Derry). The Blue Coat School exhibit behind the church highlights the important role of Presbyterians in local history (free but donation encouraged, closed Sat-Tue in summer and all of Oct-April, tel. 028/7126-1550).
• Just up the block is the...
Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall: Built in 1873, this houses the private lodge and meeting rooms of an all-male Protestant organization. The group is dedicated to the memory of the original 13 apprentice boys who saved the day during the 1688 siege. Each year, on the Saturday closest to the August 12 anniversary date, the modern-day Apprentice Boys Society celebrates the end of the siege with a controversial march atop the walls. These walls are considered sacred ground for devout Unionists, who claim that many who died during the famous siege were buried within the battered walls because of lack of space. The Siege Museum stands behind the hall, giving a narrow-focus Unionist view of the siege (£3, Mon-Sat 10:00-16:30, closed Sun, 18 Society Street, tel. 028/7126-1219).
Once an island in the River Foyle, Derry (from doire, Irish for “oak grove”) was chosen by St. Colmcille (St. Columba in English) circa A.D. 546 for a monastic settlement. He later banished himself to the island of Iona in Scotland out of remorse for sparking a bloody battle over the rights to a holy manuscript that he had secretly copied.
A thousand years later, the English defeated the last Ulster-based Gaelic chieftains in the Battle of Kinsale (1601). With victory at hand, the English took advantage of the power vacuum. They began the “plantation” of Ulster with loyal Protestant subjects imported from Scotland and England. The native Irish were displaced to less desirable rocky or boggy lands, sowing the seeds of resentment that eventually fueled the Troubles.
A dozen wealthy London guilds (grocers, haberdashers, tailors, and others) took on Derry as an investment and changed its name to “Londonderry.” They built the last great walled city in Ireland to protect their investment from the surrounding—and hostile—Irish locals. The walls proved their worth in 1688-1689, when the town’s Protestant defenders, loyal to King William of Orange, withstood a prolonged siege by the forces of Catholic King James II. “No surrender” is still a passionate rallying cry among Ulster Unionists determined to remain part of the United Kingdom.
The town became a major port of emigration to the New World in the early 1800s. Then, when the Industrial Revolution provided a steam-powered sewing factory, the city developed a thriving shirt-making industry. The factories here employed mostly Catholic women who had honed their skills in rural County Donegal. Although Belfast grew larger and wealthier, Unionists tightened their grip on “Londonderry” and the walls that they regarded with almost holy reverence. In 1921, they insisted that the city be included in Northern Ireland when the province was partitioned from the new Irish Free State (later to become the Republic of Ireland). A bit of gerrymandering (with three lightly populated Unionist districts outvoting two densely populated Nationalist districts) ensured that the Protestant minority maintained control of the city, despite its Catholic majority.
Derry was a key escort base for US convoys headed for Britain during World War II, and 60 surviving German U-boats were instructed to surrender here at the end of the war. After the war, poor Catholics—unable to find housing—took over the abandoned military barracks, with multiple families living in each dwelling. Only homeowners were allowed to vote, and the Unionist minority, which controlled city government, was not eager to build more housing that would tip the voting balance away from them. Over the years, sectarian pressures gradually built—until they reached the boiling point. The ugly events of Bloody Sunday on January 30, 1972, brought worldwide attention to the Troubles (for more details, see “Bloody Sunday” sidebar on here).
Today, life has stabilized in Derry, and the population has increased by 25 percent in the last 30 years. The Foyleside Shopping Centre, bankrolled by investors from Boston, opened in 1995. The 1998 Good Friday Peace Accord provided significant progress toward peace, and the British Army withdrew 90 percent of its troops in mid-2007. With a population that is over 70 percent Catholic, the city has agreed to alternate Nationalist and Unionist mayors. There is a feeling of cautious optimism as Derry—the epicenter of bombs and bloody conflicts in the 1960s and 1970s—now boasts a history museum that airs all viewpoints.
The city continues to work on building a happier image. The wall—with all its troubled imagery and once nicknamed “the noose”—is now called “the necklace.” With its complicated history, you’re damned-if-you-do and damned-if-you-don’t when it comes to calling it Derry (pro-Catholic, Nationalist) or Londonderry (pro-Protestant, Unionist). Some call it Derry/Londonderry or Londonderry/Derry. Others just say “Slashtown.” And the tourist board calls it “legend-Derry.”
Next, you’ll pass a large, square pedestal on the right atop Royal Bastion. It once supported a column in honor of Governor George Walker, the commander of the defenders during the famous siege. In 1972, the IRA blew up the column, which had 105 steps to the top (one for each day of the siege). An adjacent plaque shows a photo of the column before it was destroyed.
• Opposite the empty pedestal is the small Anglican...
St. Augustine Chapel: Set in a pretty graveyard, this Anglican chapel is where some believe the original sixth-century monastery of St. Columba stood. The quaint grounds are open to visitors (Mon-Sat 10:30-16:30, closed Sun except for worship). In Victorian times, this stretch of the walls was a fashionable promenade walk.
As you walk, you’ll pass a long wall (on the left)—all that’s left of a former British Army base, which stood here until 2006. Two 50-foot towers used to loom out of it, bristling with cameras and listening devices. Soldiers built them here for a bird’s-eye view of the once-turbulent Catholic Bogside district below. The towers’ dismantlement—as well as the removal of most of the British Army from Northern Ireland—is another positive sign in cautiously optimistic Derry. The walls of this former army base now contain a parking lot.
Stop at the Double Bastion fortified platform that occupies this corner of the city walls. The old cannon is nicknamed “Roaring Meg” for the fury of its firing during the siege.
From here, you can see across the Bogside to the not-so-far-away hills of County Donegal in the Republic. Derry was once an island, but as the River Foyle gradually changed its course, the area you see below the wall began to drain. Over time, and especially after the Great Potato Famine (1845-1849), Catholic peasants from rural Donegal began to move into Derry to find work during the Industrial Revolution. They settled on this least desirable land...on the soggy bog side of the city. From this vantage point, survey the Bogside with its political murals and Palestinian flags.
Directly below and to the right are Free Derry Corner and Rossville Street, where the tragic events of Bloody Sunday took place in 1972 (see here). Down on the left is the 18th-century Long Tower Catholic church, named after the monk-built round tower that once stood in the area (see here).
• Head to the grand brick building behind you. This is the...
Verbal Arts Centre: A former Presbyterian school, this center promotes the development of local literary arts in the form of poetry, drama, writing, and storytelling. You can drop in and see what performances might be on during your visit (Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00, Sat 12:00-14:00, closed Sun, tel. 028/7126-6946, www.verbalartscentre.co.uk).
• Go left another 50 yards around the corner to reach...
Bishop’s Gate: From here, look up Bishop Street Within (inside the walls). This was the site of another British Army surveillance tower. Placed just inside the town walls, it overlooked the neighborhood until 2006. Now look in the other direction to see Bishop Street Without (outside the walls). You’ll spot a modern wall topped by a high mesh fence, running along the left side of Bishop Street Without.
This is a so-called “peace wall,” built to ensure the security of the Protestant enclave living behind it in Derry’s Fountain neighborhood. When the Troubles reignited almost 50 years ago, 20,000 Protestants lived on this side of the river. This small housing development of 1,000 people is all that remains of that proud community today. The rest have chosen to move across the river to the mostly Protestant Waterside district. The stone tower halfway down the “peace wall” is all that remains of the old jail that briefly held doomed rebels after a 1798 revolt against the British.
• From Bishop’s Gate, those short on time can descend from the walls and walk 15 minutes directly back through the heart of the old city, along Bishop Street Within and Shipquay Street to Guildhall Square. With more time, consider visiting St. Columb’s Cathedral, the Long Tower Church, and the murals of the Bogside.
(See “Bogside Murals Walk” map.)
The Catholic Bogside area was the tinderbox of the modern Troubles in Northern Ireland. Bloody Sunday, a terrible confrontation during a march that occurred nearly 50 years ago, sparked a sectarian inferno, and the ashes have not yet fully cooled. Today, the murals of the Bogside give visitors an accessible glimpse of this community’s passionate perception of those events.
Getting There: The events are memorialized in 12 murals painted on the ends of residential flats along a 300-yard stretch of Rossville Street and Lecky Road, where the march took place. For the purposes of this walk, you can reach them from Waterloo Place via William Street. They are also accessible from the old city walls at Butcher Gate via the long set of stairs extending below Fahan Street on the grassy hillside, or by the stairs leading down from the Long Tower Church. These days, this neighborhood is gritty but quiet and safe.
The Artists: Two brothers, Tom and William Kelly, and their childhood friend Kevin Hasson are known as the Bogside Artists. They grew up in the Bogside and witnessed the tragic events that took place there, which led them to begin painting the murals in 1994. One of the brothers, Tom, gained a reputation as a “heritage mural” painter, specializing in scenes of life in the old days. In a surprising and hopeful development, Tom was later invited into Derry’s Protestant Fountain neighborhood to work with a youth club there on three proud heritage murals that were painted over paramilitary graffiti. For more about this unique trio, visit their website, BogsideArtists.com.
The Murals: Start out at the corner of Rossville and William streets.
The Bogside murals face different directions (and some are partially hidden by buildings), so they’re not all visible from a single viewpoint. Plan on walking three long blocks along Rossville Street (which becomes Lecky Road) to see them all. Residents are used to visitors and don’t mind if you photograph the murals. Local motorists are uncommonly courteous with allowing visitors to cross the busy street.
From William Street, walk south along the right side of Rossville Street toward Free Derry Corner. The murals will all be on your right.
The first mural you’ll walk past is the colorful 1 Peace, showing the silhouette of a dove in flight (left side of mural) and an oak leaf (right side of mural), both created from a single ribbon. A peace campaign asked Derry city schoolchildren to write suggestions for positive peacetime images; their words inspired this artwork. The dove is a traditional symbol of peace, and the oak leaf is a traditional symbol of Derry—recognized by both communities. The dove flies from the sad blue of the past toward the warm yellow of the future.
2 The Hunger Strikers, repainted during the summer of 2015, features two Derry-born participants of the 1981 Maze Prison hunger strike, as well as their mothers, who sacrificed and supported them in their fatal decision (10 strikers died). The prison was closed after the release of all prisoners (both Unionist and Nationalist) in 2000.
Smaller and easy to miss (above a ramp with banisters) is 3 John Hume. It’s actually a collection of four faces (clockwise from upper left): Nationalist leader John Hume, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Mother Teresa. The Brooklyn Bridge in the middle symbolizes the long-term bridges of understanding that the work of these four Nobel Peace Prize-winning activists created. Born in the Bogside, Hume still maintains a home here.
Now look for 4 The Saturday Matinee, which depicts an outgunned but undaunted local youth behind a screen shield. He holds a stone, ready to throw, while a British armored vehicle approaches (echoing the famous Tiananmen Square photo of the lone Chinese man facing the tank). Why Saturday Matinee? It’s because the weekend was the best time for locals to engage in a little “recreational rioting” and “have a go at” the army; people were off work and youths were out of school.
Nearby is 5 Civil Rights, showing a marching Derry crowd carrying an anti-sectarian banner. It dates from the days when Martin Luther King Jr.’s successful nonviolent marches were being seen worldwide on TV, creating a dramatic, global ripple effect. Civil rights marches, inspired by King and using the same methods to combat a similar set of grievances, gave this long-suffering community a powerful new voice.
All along this walk you’ll notice lots of flags, including the red, black, white, and green Palestinian flag. Palestinians and Catholic residents of Northern Ireland have a special empathy for each other—both are indigenous people dealing with the persistent realities of sharing what they consider their rightful homeland with more powerful settlers planted there for political reasons.
In the building behind this mural, you’ll find the intense Museum of Free Derry (£6, £9 combo-ticket with Bogside History Tours, open Mon-Fri 9:30-16:30 year-round, also open April-Sept Sat-Sun 13:00-16:00, 55 Glenfada Park, tel. 028/7136-0880, www.museumoffreederry.org). Photos, shirts with bullet holes, and video documentary convey the experiences of the people of the Bogside during the worst of the Troubles. At the far end of the museum’s outdoor wall (high up on the second floor of an adjacent residential building) is a copy of a famous painting by Francisco Goya depicting another massacre—this one in Spain—called the Third of May 1808. This reproduction draws a stark parallel to the local events that occurred here. Below and to the left of the painting (next to a gated alley) are two large bullet holes in the wall, inflicted on Bloody Sunday and preserved behind glass.
Cross over to the other side of Rossville Street to see the Bloody Sunday Monument. This small, fenced-off stone obelisk lists the names of those who died that day, most within 50 yards of this spot. Take a look at the map pedestal by the monument, which shows how a rubble barricade was erected to block the street. A 10-story housing project called Rossville Flats stood here in those days. After peaceful protests failed (with Bloody Sunday being the watershed event), Nationalist youths became more aggressive. British troops were wary of being hit by Molotov cocktails thrown from the rooftop of the housing project.
Cross back again, this time over to the grassy median strip that runs down the middle of Rossville Street. At this end stands a granite letter H inscribed with the names of the 10 IRA hunger strikers who died (and how many days they starved) in the H-block of Maze Prison in 1981 (see “The Hunger Strikers,” earlier in the walk).
From here, as you look across at the corner of Fahan Street, you get a good view of two murals. In 6 The Runners (right), three rioting youths flee tear gas from canisters used by the British Army to disperse hostile crowds. More than 1,000 canisters were used during the Battle of the Bogside; “nonlethal” rubber bullets killed 17 people over the course of the Troubles. Meanwhile, in 7 Operation Motorman (left), a soldier wields a sledgehammer to break through a house door, depicting the massive push by the British Army to open up the Bogside’s barricaded “no-go” areas that the IRA had controlled for three years (1969-1972).
Walk down to the other end of the median strip where the white wall of Free Derry Corner announces “You are now entering Free Derry” (imitating a similarly defiant slogan of the time in once-isolated West Berlin). This was the gabled end of a string of houses that stood here more than 40 years ago. During the Troubles, it became a traditional meeting place for speakers to address crowds. A portion of this mural changes from time to time, calling attention to injustice suffered by kindred spirits around the world (the plight of Palestinians and Basques are common themes).
Cross back to the right side of the street (now Lecky Road) to see 8 Bloody Sunday, in which a small group of men carry a body from that ill-fated march. It’s based on a famous photo of Father Edward Daly that was taken that day. Hunched over, he waves a white handkerchief to request safe passage in order to evacuate a mortally wounded protester. The bloodstained civil rights banner was inserted under the soldier’s feet for extra emphasis. After Bloody Sunday, the previously marginal IRA suddenly found itself swamped with bitterly determined young recruits.
Near it is a mural called 9 Bernadette. The woman with the megaphone is Bernadette Devlin McAliskey, an outspoken civil rights leader, who at age 21 became the youngest elected member of British Parliament. Behind her kneels a female supporter, banging a trash-can lid against the street in a traditional expression of protest in Nationalist neighborhoods. Trash-can lids were also used to warn neighbors of the approach of British patrols.
10 Petrol Bomber, showing a teen wearing an army-surplus gas mask, captures the Battle of the Bogside, when locals barricaded their community, effectively shutting out British rule. Though the main figure’s face is obscured by the mask, his body clearly communicates the resolve of an oppressed people. In the background, the long-gone Rossville Flats housing project still looms, with an Irish tricolor flag flying from its top.
In 11 The Death of Innocence, a young girl stands in front of bomb wreckage. She is Annette McGavigan, a 14-year-old who was killed on this corner by crossfire in 1971. She was the 100th fatality of the Troubles, which eventually took more than 3,000 lives (and she was also a cousin of one of the artists). The broken gun beside her points to the ground, signifying that it’s no longer being wielded. The large butterfly above her shoulder symbolizes the hope for peace. For years, the artists left the butterfly an empty silhouette until they felt confident that the peace process had succeeded. They finally filled in the butterfly with optimistic colors in the summer of 2006.
The dramatic and emotional murals you’ll encounter in Northern Ireland will likely be one of your trip’s most enduring travel memories. During the 19th century, Protestant neighborhoods hung flags and streamers each July to commemorate the victory of King William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. Modern murals evolved from these colorful annual displays. With the advent of industrial paints, temporary seasonal displays became permanent territorial statements.
Unionist murals were created during the extended Home Rule political debate that eventually led to the partitioning of the island in 1921 and the creation of Northern Ireland. Murals that expressed opposing views in Nationalist Catholic neighborhoods were outlawed. The ban remained until the eruption of the modern Troubles, when staunchly Nationalist Catholic communities isolated themselves behind barricades, eluding state control and gaining freedom to express their pent-up passions. In Derry, this form of symbolic, cultural, and ideological resistance first appeared in 1969 with the simple “You are now entering Free Derry” message that you’ll still see painted on the surviving gable wall at Free Derry Corner.
Found mostly in working-class neighborhoods of Belfast and Derry, today’s political murals have become a dynamic form of popular culture. They blur the line between art and propaganda, giving visitors a striking glimpse of each community’s history, identity, and values.
Finally, around the corner, you’ll see a circle of male faces. This mural, painted in 1997 to observe the 25th anniversary of the tragedy, is called 12 Bloody Sunday Commemoration and shows the 14 victims. They are surrounded by a ring of 14 oak leaves—the symbol of Derry. When relatives of the dead learned that the three Bogside Artists were beginning to paint this mural, many came forward to loan the artists precious photos of their loved ones, so they could be more accurately depicted.
Across the street, drop into the Bogside Inn for a beverage and check out the black-and-white photos of events in the area during the Troubles. This pub has been here through it all, and lives on to tell the tale.
While these murals preserve the struggles of the late 20th century, today sectarian violence has given way to negotiations and a settlement that seems to be working in fits and starts. The British apology for the Bloody Sunday shootings was a huge step forward. Former Nationalist leader John Hume (who shared the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize with then-Unionist leader David Trimble) once borrowed a quote from Gandhi to explain his nonviolent approach to the peace process: “An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind.”
Occupying a modern reconstruction of a fortified medieval tower house that belonged to the local O’Doherty clan, this well-organized museum provides an excellent introduction to the city. Combining modern audiovisual displays with historical artifacts, the exhibits tell the story of the city from a skillfully unbiased viewpoint, sorting out some of the tangled historical roots of Northern Ireland’s Troubles.
Cost and Hours: £4, includes audioguide for Armada exhibits, daily 10:00-17:30, last entry 16:00, Union Hall Place, tel. 028/7137-2411, www.derrystrabane.com/towermuseum.
Visiting the Museum: The museum is divided into two sections: the Story of Derry (on the ground floor) and the Spanish Armada (on the four floors of the tower).
Start with the Story of Derry, which explains the city’s monastic origins 1,500 years ago. The exhibit moves through pivotal events, such as the 1688-1689 siege, as well as unexpected blips, like Amelia Earhart’s emergency landing. Don’t miss the thought-provoking 15-minute film in the small theater—it offers an evenhanded local perspective on the tragic events of the modern sectarian conflict, giving you a better handle on what makes this unique city tick. Scan the displays of paramilitary paraphernalia in the hallway lined with colored curbstones—red, white, and blue Union Jack colors for Unionists; and the green, white, and orange Irish tricolor for Nationalists.
The tower section holds the Spanish Armada exhibits, filled with items taken from the wreck of La Trinidad Valencera. The ship sank off the coast of Donegal in 1588 in fierce storms nicknamed the “Protestant Winds.” A third of the Armada’s ships were lost in storms off the coasts of Ireland and Scotland. Survivors who made it ashore were hunted and killed by English soldiers. But a small number made it to Dunluce Castle (see here), where the sympathetic lord, who was no friend of the English, smuggled them to Scotland and eventual freedom in France.
This Neo-Gothic building, complete with clock tower, is the ceremonial seat of city government. It first opened in 1890 on reclaimed lands that were once the mudflats of the River Foyle. Destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1913, it was massively damaged by IRA bombs in 1972. In an ironic twist, Gerry Doherty, one of those convicted of the bombings, was elected as a member of the Derry City Council a dozen years later. (When I first visited Derry with tour groups back in the 1990s, a bus of curious Americans was such a rarity that the mayor actually invited our entire group into his office here for tea and a friendly Q&A session.)
Cost and Hours: Free, daily 10:00-17:30, free and clean WCs on ground floor, tel. 028/7137-6510, www.derrystrabane.com/guildhall.
Visiting the Hall: Inside the hall are the Council Chamber, party offices, and an assembly hall featuring stained-glass windows showing scenes from Derry history. Take an informational pamphlet from the front window and explore, if civic and cultural events are not taking place inside. Rotating exhibits fill a ground-floor hall just to the right of the front reception desk. The Ulster Plantation exhibition is worth a visit. A mighty pipe organ fills much of a wall in the grand hall. It’s lonely and loves to be played (if you play the piano and would like to give it a go, just ask a guard).
On the back terrace, facing the river, you’ll find locals lunching at the pleasant Guild Café (daily 9:30-17:00). And across the street is the modest but heartfelt Peace Park, with hopeful, nonsectarian children’s quotes on tiles that line the path.
A stroll across the architecturally fetching Peace Bridge rewards you with great views as you look back west over the river toward the city center. The €14 million pedestrian Peace Bridge opened in 2011, linking neighborhoods long divided by the river (Catholic Nationalists on the west bank and Protestant Unionists on the east bank). On the far side from the old city walls, the former Ebrington Barracks British Army base (1841-2003) sits on prime real estate and surrounds a huge square that was once the military parade ground. This area features a fun gastropub, and serves as an outdoor concert venue and gathering place for the community. Plans are in progress to develop this area further with a hotel and museum complex.
Designed by local teacher Maurice Harron, this powerful metal sculpture of two figures extending their hands to each other was inspired by the growing hope for peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland (located in a roundabout at the west end of Craigavon Bridge).
The Tillie and Henderson’s shirt factory (opened in 1857 and burned down in 2003) once stood on the banks of the river beside the bridge, looming over the figures. In its heyday, Derry’s shirt industry employed more than 15,000 workers (90 percent of whom were women) in sweathouses typical of the human toll of the Industrial Revolution. Karl Marx mentioned this factory in Das Kapital as an example of women’s transition from domestic to industrial work lives.
Marked by the tall spire inside the walls, this Anglican cathedral was built from 1628 to 1633 in a style called “Planter’s Gothic.” Its construction was financed by the same London companies that backed the Protestant plantation of Londonderry. The first Protestant cathedral built in Britain after the Reformation, St. Columb’s played an important part in the defense of the city during the siege. During that time, cannons were mounted on its roof, and the original spire was scavenged for lead to melt into cannon shot.
Cost and Hours: £2 donation, Mon-Sat 9:00-17:00, closed Sun, tel. 028/7126-7313, www.stcolumbscathedral.org.
Visiting the Cathedral: Before you enter, walk over to the “Heroes’ Mound” at the end of the churchyard closest to the town wall. Underneath this grassy dome is a mass grave of some of those who died during the 1689 siege.
In the cathedral entryway, you’ll find a hollow cannonball that was lobbed into the city—it contained the besiegers’ surrender terms. Inside, along the nave, hangs a musty collection of battle flags and Union Jacks that once inspired troops during the siege, the Crimean War, and World War II. The American flag hangs among them, from the time when the first GIs to enter the European theater in World War II were based in Northern Ireland. Check out the small chapter-house museum in the back of the church to see the huge original locks of the gates of Derry and more relics of the siege.
Built below the walls on the hillside above the Bogside, this modest-looking church is worth a visit for its stunning high altar. The name comes from a stone monastic round tower that stood here for centuries but was dismantled and used for building materials in the 1600s.
Cost and Hours: Free, generally open Mon-Sat 8:30-20:30, Sun 7:30-18:00—depending on available staff and church functions, tel. 028/7126-2301, www.longtowerchurch.org.
Visiting the Church: Long Tower Church, the oldest Catholic church in Derry, was finished in 1786, during a time of enlightened relations between the city’s two religious communities. Protestant Bishop Hervey gave a generous-for-the-time £200 donation and had the four Corinthian columns shipped in from Naples to frame the Neo-Renaissance altar.
Outside, walk behind the church and face the Bogside to find a simple shrine hidden beneath a hawthorn tree. It marks the spot where outlawed Masses were secretly held before this church was built, during the infamous Penal Law period of the early 1700s. Through the Penal Laws, the English attempted to weaken Catholicism’s influence by banishing priests and forbidding Catholics from buying land, attending school, voting, and holding office.
Nearby: The adjacent St. Columba Heritage Centre fleshes out the life of Derry’s patron saint and founding father (free, Mon-Fri 9:30-16:30, Sat-Sun 13:00-16:00, closed Mon Oct-April, tel. 028/7136-8491, www.stcolumbaheritage.org).
The Millennium Forum is a modern venue that reflects the city’s revived investment in local culture, concerts, and plays (box office open Mon-Sat 9:30-17:00, inside city walls on Newmarket Street near Ferryquay Gate, tel. 028/7126-4455, www.millenniumforum.co.uk, boxoffice@millenniumforum.co.uk).
The Nerve Centre shows a wide variety of art-house films and live concerts (inside city walls at 7 Magazine Street, near Butcher Gate, tel. 028/7126-0562, www.nervecentre.org).
The Playhouse Theatre is an intimate venue for plays (£9-20 tickets, inside the walls on Artillery Street, between New Gate and Ferryquay Gate, tel. 028/7126-8027, www.derryplayhouse.co.uk).
To get away from tourists and mingle with Derry residents, try Peadar O’Donnell’s pub on Waterloo Street for Derry’s best nightly traditional music sessions (often start late, at 23:00; 53 Waterloo Street, tel. 028/7137-2318).
The first two options are located inside the city’s walls and feature all the modern comforts. The others are in historic buildings with creaky charm and friendly hosts.
$$$$ Bishop’s Gate Hotel is Derry’s top lodging option and priced that way. A former gentlemen’s club once frequented by Winston Churchill, it has 30 rooms that ooze with cushy refinement (fine bar, 24 Bishop Street, tel. 028/7114-0300, www.bishopsgatehotelderry.com, sales@bishopsgatehotelderry.com).
$$ Maldron Hotel features 93 modern and large rooms, a bistro restaurant, and 20 private basement parking spaces (Butcher Street, tel. 028/7137-1000, www.maldronhotelderry.com, info.derry@maldronhotels.com).
$ Merchant’s House, on a quiet street a 10-minute stroll from Waterloo Place, is a fine Georgian townhouse with a grand, colorful drawing room and nine rooms sporting marble fireplaces and ornate plasterwork (family rooms, 16 Queen Street, tel. 028/7126-9691, www.thesaddlershouse.com, saddlershouse@btinternet.com). Joan and Peter Pyne also run the Saddler’s House (see below), and offer appealing self-catering townhouse rentals inside the walls (great for families or anyone needing extra space, 3-night minimum).
$ Saddler’s House, run by the owners of Merchant’s House, is a charming Victorian townhouse with seven rooms located a couple of blocks closer to the old town walls. Their dog Bruno (a boxer) provides loveable comic relief (36 Great James Street, tel. 028/7126-9691, www.thesaddlershouse.com, saddlershouse@btinternet.com).
(See “Derry” map.)
$$$ Entrada is a crisp, modern restaurant with a faintly Spanish theme, serving great meals and fine wines in a posh, calm space. It faces the river a block from the Guildhall (Wed-Sat 12:00-21:30, Sun until 20:00, closed Mon-Tue, Queens Quay, tel. 028/7137-3366).
The hip, trendy $$$ Exchange Restaurant and Wine Bar offers lunches and quality dinners with flair, in a central location near the river behind Waterloo Place (Mon-Sat 12:00-14:30 & 17:30-22:00, Sun 16:00-21:00, Queen’s Quay, tel. 028/7127-3990).
$$$ Fitzroy’s, tucked below Ferryquay Gate and stacked with locals, serves good lunches and dinners (Mon-Sat 12:00-22:00, Sun 13:00-20:00, 2 Bridge Street, tel. 028/7126-6211).
$$ Browns in Town is a casual, friendly lunch or dinner option near most of my recommended lodgings (Mon-Sat 12:00-15:00 & 17:30-21:00, Sun 17:00-20:30, 21 Strand Road, tel. 028/7136-2889).
$$ Walled City Brewery, across the Peace Bridge, is a fun change of pace. The brewpub ambience and dependable comfort food can be washed down with a local fave: Derry chocolate milk stout (Wed-Thu 17:00-23:30, Fri-Sun from 14:00, closed Mon-Tue, 70 Ebrington Square, tel. 028/7134-3336).
$ Mandarin Palace is crowded with loyal locals eating filling Chinese fare; easy takeout is available (Mon-Sat 16:00-23:00, Sun from 13:00, Queens Quay, tel. 028/7137-3656).
Supermarkets: You’ll find everything you need for picnics and road munchies at Tesco (Mon-Sat 8:00-21:00, Sun 13:00-18:00, corner of Strand Road and Clarendon Street) or SuperValu (Mon-Sat 8:30-19:00, Sun 12:30-17:30, Waterloo Place).
From Derry, it’s an hour’s drive to Portrush. If you’re using public transportation, consider spending £17.50 for a Zone 4 iLink smartcard (£16.50 top-up for each additional day), good for all-day train and bus use in Northern Ireland (see here). Translink has updated schedules and prices for both trains and buses in Northern Ireland (tel. 028/9066-6630, www.translink.co.uk). Keep in mind that some bus and train schedules, road signs, and maps may say “Londonderry” or “L’Derry” instead of “Derry.”
From Derry by Train to: Portrush (8/day, 1.5 hours, change in Coleraine), Belfast (10/day, 2.5 hours), Dublin (6/day, 5.5 hours, change in Belfast).
By Bus to: Galway (6/day, 5.5 hours), Westport (3/day, 6 hours, change in Sligo), Portrush (5/day, 1.5 hours, change in Coleraine), Belfast (hourly, 2 hours), Dublin (12/day, 4 hours).
This combination museum and folk park (in a wonderfully scenic and walkable rural forest) commemorates the many Irish who left their homeland during the hard times of the 18th century. Your visit progresses through four sections. You’ll start by walking through the excellent museum, then head outdoors to visit the remaining three sections in chronological order: life in Ulster before emigration, passage on the boat, and the adjustment to life in unfamiliar America. You’ll gain insight into the origins of the tough Scots-Irish stock—think Davy Crockett (his people were from Derry) and Andrew Jackson (Carrickfergus roots)—who later shaped America’s westward migration. You’ll also find good coverage of the Titanic tragedy, and its effect on the Ulster folk who built the ship and the loved ones it left behind.
Cost and Hours: £9; March-Sept Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00; Oct-Feb Tue-Fri 10:00-16:00, Sat-Sun 11:00-16:00; closed Mon year-round; cafeteria, 2 Mellon Road, tel. 028/8224-3292, www.nmni.com.
Getting There: The folk park is 48 kilometers (30 miles) south of Derry on A-5—about a 40-minute drive.
Nearby: The adjacent Mellon Centre for Migration Studies is handy for genealogy searches (Tue-Fri 10:00-16:00, Sat from 11:00, closed Sun-Mon, tel. 028/8225-6315, www.qub.ac.uk/cms).