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{{For|other places with similar names|Londonderry (disambiguation)|Londonderry (disambiguation)}}
{{For|other places with similar names|Londonderry (disambiguation)|Londonderry (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox UK place |
{{Infobox UK place |
|official_name= Londonderry
|official_name= Derry
|irish_name= Doire/Doire Cholm Cille
|irish_name= Doire/Doire Cholm Cille
|scots_name= Lunnonderrie
|scots_name= Derrie

Revision as of 17:55, 19 November 2007

For other places with similar names, see Londonderry (disambiguation) and Londonderry (disambiguation).
Derry
  • Irish: Doire/Doire Cholm Cille
  • Scots: Derrie
  • Maiden City, Stroke City
File:Londonderry arms 2003.png
Vita Veritas Victoria
"Life, Truth, Victory"
PopulationExpression error: "City Proper:
83,652 
Londonderry Urban Area:
90,663  
(2001 Census)" must be numeric
Irish grid referenceH876455
District
County
CountryNorthern Ireland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLONDONDERRY[1]
Postcode districtBT47, BT48
Dialling code028
PoliceNorthern Ireland
FireNorthern Ireland
AmbulanceNorthern Ireland
UK Parliament
Websitewww.derrycity.gov.uk
List of places
UK
Northern Ireland
County Londonderry

Londonderry ([Doire/Londaindoire or Doire Cholm Chille] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help), meaning 'Oak wood of Colm Cille'), often called the Maiden City, is a city in Northern Ireland. The old walled city of Londonderry lies on the west bank of the River Foyle, and the present city now covers both banks (Cityside to the west and Waterside to the east) and is connected by two bridges. The district extends to rural areas to the southeast of the city. The population of the city proper was 83,652 in the 2001 Census. The Londonderry Urban Area (including Culmore, New Buildings and Strathfoyle) had a population of 90,663, and is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland [2] [3], the fourth on the island of Ireland. It is one of the only places in Europe not to have its defensive walls breached (though the original fortified gates have been replaced). Londonderry is very near the border with County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland and also serves the west of County Londonderry. The district is run by Londonderry City Council and has an airport, City of Londonderry Airport, and a seaport, Londonderry Port.

The City of Londonderry has had a very close relationship with what is now County Donegal for centuries. The person traditionally seen as the "founder" of Londonderry is St. Columba (also known as Colm Cille or St. Columb), a holy man and royal prince from Tír Chonaill, the old name for almost all of modern County Donegal. Indeed, Londonderry was often seen as being part of Tír Chonaill before 1600. Today, most of the Catholic population of the City of Londonderry would be of Donegal descent. Londonderry and the nearby town of Letterkenny form the major economic core of North-West Ireland.

Name

Main article: Londonderry-Londonderry name dispute

According to the city's Royal Charter the official name is Londonderry and, as stated in a recent High Court decision in January 2007,[4] remains so. It usually appears as such on maps.[5] The city is known by many as Londonderry, which is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire, which in modern Irish is spelt Doire, and translates as ‘Oak-grove’. The name derives from the settlement's earliest references, Daire Calgaich (‘oakwood of Calgach’).[6] The name was changed from Londonderry in 1613 during the Plantation of Ulster to reflect the establishment of the city by the London guilds.[7]

The city is also nicknamed the Maiden City by virtue of the fact that its walls were never penetrated during the siege of Londonderry in the late 17th century. It is also nicknamed 'Stroke City' by local broadcaster, Gerry Anderson, due to the 'politically correct' use of the oblique notation Londonderry/Londonderry. A recent addition to the city has been the erection of several large stone columns on main roads into the city welcoming drivers to "the walled city."

The "No Surrender" mural right outside the city wall: "Londonderry west bank loyalists still under siege no surrender"
File:Londonderry mural.jpg
The "Free Londonderry" sign in the Bogside: "You are now entering Free Londonderry"

History

Main article: History of Londonderry

Londonderry is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in Northern Ireland. The earliest historical references date to the 6th century when a monastery was founded there by St. Columba, a famous saint from what is now County Donegal, but for thousands of years before that people had been living in the vicinity.

Before leaving Ireland to spread Christianity elsewhere in the British Isles, Columba founded a monastery in the then Doire Calgaich, on the east side of the Foyle. According to oral and documented history the site was granted to Columba by a local king. The monastery then remained in the hands of the federation of Columban churches who regarded Colm Cille as their spiritual mentor. In the year 546 the area was renamed Doire Cholm Cille in remembrance of Colmcille’s Oak Grove. At this stage, in the 6th century, Londonderry was known primarily as a monastic settlement.

Planters organised by London livery companies through The Honourable The Irish Society arrived in the 1600s as part of the plantation of Ulster, and built the walled city of Londonderry across the Foyle from the earlier town. The city has long been a focal point for important events in Irish history, including the 1688-1689 siege of Londonderry and Bloody Sunday on 30 January 1972.

This Londonderry was the first ever planned city in Ireland: it was begun in 1613, with the walls being completed 5 years later in 1618. The central diamond within a walled city with four gates was thought to be a good design for defence. The grid pattern chosen was subsequently much copied in the colonies of British North America.[8] The charter initially defined the city as extending three Irish miles (about 6.1 km) from the centre.

The modern city preserves the 17th century layout of four main streets radiating from the Diamond to four gateways - Bishop's Gate, Ferryquay Gate, Shipquay Gate and Butcher's Gate. Historic buildings within the walls include the 1633 Gothic cathedral of St Columb. In the porch is an inscription:

If stones could speake then London's prayse should sound Who built this church and cittie from the grounde.

St Columb's Cathedral

Coat of arms and motto

The devices on Londonderry's arms are a skeleton and a three-towered castle on a black field, with the chief or top third of the shield depicting the arms of the City of London: a red cross and sword on white. In the centre of the cross is a gold harp.

The blazon of the arms is as follows:

Sable, a human skeleton Or seated upon a mossy stone proper and in dexter chief a castle triple towered argent on a chief also argent a cross gules thereon a harp or and in the first quarter a sword erect gules[9]

According to documents in the College of Arms in London and the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland in Dublin, the arms of the city were confirmed in 1613 by Daniel Molyneux, Ulster King of Arms. The College of Arms document states that the original arms of the City of Londonderry were ye picture of death (or a skeleton) on a moissy stone & in ye dexter point a castle and that upon grant of a charter of incorporation and the renaming of the city as Londonderry in that year the first mayor had requested the addition of a "chief of London".[10][11]

A number of theories have been advanced as to the meaning of the "old" arms of Londonderry, before the addition of the chief bearing the arms of the City of London:

  • It has been suggested that the castle is related to an early 14th century castle in nearby Greencastle belonging to the Anglo-Norman earl of Ulster Richard de Burgh.
  • The most popular theory about the skeleton is that it is that of a Norman De Burgh knight who was starved to death in the castle dungeons in 1332 on the orders of his cousin the above mentioned earl of Ulster. Another explanation put forward was that it depicted Cahir O'Doherty (Sir Charles O'Dogherty), who was put to death after the Londonderry was invested by the English army in 1608. During the days of Gerrymandering and discrimination against the Catholic population of Londonderry, Londonderry's Roman Catholics often[citation needed] used to claim in dark wit that the skeleton was 'a Catholic waiting on the Council housing list'.

In 1979 Londonderry City Council commissioned a report into the city's arms and insignia, as part of the design process for an heraldic badge. The published report found that there was no basis for any of the popular explanations for the skeleton and that it was "purely symbolic and does not refer to any identifiable person".[12]

The 1613 records of the arms depicted a harp in the centre of the cross, but this was omitted from later depictions of the city arms, and in the Letters Patent confirming the arms to Londonderry Corporation in 1952.[13] In 2002 Londonderry City Council applied to the College of Arms to have the harp restored to the city arms, and Garter and Norroy & Ulster Kings of Arms accepted the seventeenth century evidence, issuing letters patent to that effect in 2003.[9]

The motto attached to the coat of arms reads in Latin, "Vita, Veritas, Victoria". This translates into English as, "Life, Truth, Victory".

Climate

Climate Table
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average daily maximum temperature (°C) 10 10 11 12 14 17 18 19 17 15 11 11 13.75
Average daily maximum temperature (°F) 50 50 52 54 57 63 64 66 63 59 52 52 56.75
Average daily minimum temperature (°C) 0 0 2 3 5 8 10 10 9 6 4 1 4.8
Average daily minimum temperature (°F) 32 32 36 37 41 46 50 50 48 43 39 34 40.7
Mean total rainfall (mm) 110 80 90 60 60 70 70 90 100 120 120 100 1070
Mean total rainfall (in) 4.3 3.1 3.5 2.4 2.4 2.8 2.8 3.5 3.9 4.7 4.7 3.9 42.1
Source: Yahoo! Weather

Economy

The River Foyle at night

The economy of the district was based significantly on the textile industry until relatively recently. For many years women were often the sole wage earners working in the shirt factories while the men predominantly in comparison had high levels of unemployment.[14] This led to significant male emigration.[15] In more recent times the textile industry jobs have increasingly moved to the Far East, leaving the district to bear an increased jobless total. The history of shirt making in the city dates back as far as 1831 and is said to have been started by William Scott and his family who first exported shirts to Glasgow.[16] Within 50 years, shirt making in the city was the most prolific in the UK with garments being exported all over the world. It was known so well that the industry received a mention in Das Kapital by Karl Marx, when discussing the factory system:

The shirt factory of Messrs. Tille at Londonderry, which employs 1,000 operatives in the factory itself, and 9,000 people spread up and down the country and working in their own houses.[17]

File:Du Pont Londonderry 2007 SMC.JPG
Du Pont production facility, 2007, Maydown.

A long-term foreign employer in the area is Du Pont, which has been based at Maydown since 1958, its first European production facility.[18] Originally Neoprene was manufactured at Maydown and subsequently followed by Hypalon. More recently Lycra and Kevlar® production units were active.[19] Thanks to a healthy world-wide demand for Kevlar which is made at the plant, the facility recently undertook a £40 million upgrade to expand its global Kevlar production. Du Pont has stated that contributing factors to its continued commitment to Maydown are "low labor costs, excellent communications, and tariff-free, easy access to the UK mainland and European continent."

In the last 15 years there has been a drive to increase inward investment in the city, more recently concentrating on digital industries. Currently the three largest private-sector employers are American firms.[20]

Even though the city provides cheap labour by standards in Western Europe, critics have noted that the grants offered by the Northern Ireland Industrial Development Board have helped land jobs for the area that only last as long as the funding lasts.[21] This was reflected by 1990 questions to The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Richard Needham).[22] It was noted that it cost £30,000 to create one job in an American firm in Northern Ireland.

File:Seagate building Londonderry 2005.jpg
Seagate production facility, 2005, 1 Disc Drive, Springtown Industrial Estate.

Successes have included call centres and a large investment by Seagate, which has operated a factory in the Springtown Industrial Estate since 1993. It currently sponsors the city film festival, but more significantly employs over 1,000 people in the Springtown premises, which produce more than half of Seagate's total requirement for hard drive read-write heads.

A recent boost to the region was the arrival of Firstsource, one of India's leading Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies. The company opened its Londonderry contact centre in December 2006: the centre now employs around 450 people, with a target of employing over 600 people by 2008.

A success for the Invest NI was Stream International, who opened an outsourced technology contact centre operation at Peninsula Hi-Tech's Ulster Science & Technology Park[23] in January 1995, it is now the third-largest employer in the district.[24] Other tenants on the Science Park include Homeloan Management Ltd from Skipton in the UK who opened a financial services centre employing up to 400 at Building 3 on 1 January 2004.

A recent but controversial new employer in the area is Raytheon, Raytheon Systems Limited, was established in 1999, in the Ulster Science & Technology Park, Buncrana Road.[25] Although some local people welcomed the jobs boost some in the area objected to the jobs being provided by a firm involved heavily in the arms trade.[26] Following four years of protest by the Foyle Ethical Investment Campaign, in 2004 Londonderry City Council passed a motion declaring the district a "A 'No–Go' Area for the Arms Trade".[27]

Londonderry is the largest area within Northern Ireland for American Investment according to figures released by the local Chamber of Commerce.[citation needed]

In June 2007 Fujitsu announced the development of an £18 million office at Timber Quay employing 328 IT staff. David Courtley, chief executive of Fujitsu Services stated:

Londonderry has an advanced local infrastructure, the availability of an IT-focused labour market and a very close proximity to the UK/European marketplace, which made it an ideal choice. The jobs being created at the new centre of excellence will encompass a broad spectrum of high-quality specialist IT services roles.[28]

The most significant employers in the region are:

International:

Local:

  • Desmonds – Northern Ireland’s largest privately-owned company. (International garment manufacturing and sourcing)
  • E&I Engineering
  • St. Brendan’s Irish Cream Liqueur Ltd
  • McCambridge Duffy : One of the largest Insolvency Practices in the UK.- MCD

Source (pdf)

File:Magee University Londonderry SMC 2005.jpg
Magee campus, University of Ulster

Londonderry Port at Lisahally is the United Kingdom’s most westerly port and has capacity for 30,000-ton vessels. The port played a vital part for the Allies in WWII during the war's longest running campaign, The Battle of the Atlantic, and saw the surrender of the German U-Boat fleet at Lisahally on May 8 1945.

In spite it being the second city of Northern Ireland, road and rail links to other cities are below par for its standing. Many business leaders claim that government investment in the city and infrastructure has been badly lacking. Some have stated that this is due to its outlaying border location whilst others have cited a sectarian bias against the west of the province due to its high proportion of Catholics.[29][30] There is no motorway link with Belfast or Dublin. The rail link to Belfast has been downgraded over the years so that presently it is not a viable alternative to the roads for industry to rely on. Mr Garvan O'Doherty, local business man and board member of the Londonderry Port and Harbour Commission, stated in the Irish Times, October 2005:

It is vital that road, rail and air links are all maximised with particular emphasis on the two principal road axes - connections to Belfast and Dublin.

Much has been made of the City of Londonderry Airport.[citation needed] Local ratepayers subsidise it through the council, the airport also receives considerable funding from the Irish Government directly.

Critics of investment decisions affecting the district often point to the decision to build a new university building in nearby Coleraine rather than developing the University of Ulster Magee Campus. Another major government decision affecting the city was the decision to create the new city of Craigavon outside Belfast, which again was detrimental to the development of Londonderry. Even in October 2005, there was perceived bias against the comparatively impoverished North West of the province, with a major civil service job contract going to Belfast. Mark Durkan, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader and Member of Parliament (MP) for Foyle was quoted in the Belfast Telegraph as saying:

The fact is there has been consistent under-investment in the North West and a reluctance on the part of the Civil Service to see or support anything west of the Bann, except when it comes to rate increases, then they treat us equally.[31]

File:Shipquay Street Londonderry SMC 2005.jpg
Shipquay Street with a view of the Guildhall and the River Foyle

Many observers note that politics will need to play a part in the future development of the economy of the city. Whether it is a future devolved Northern Ireland government or the British or Irish or European parliaments that will provide the impetus it is clear that cross border digital and physical infrastructure improvements are needed. In July 2005, the Irish Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen, called for a joint task force to drive economic growth in the cross border region. This would have implications for Londonderry and Tyrone, and Donegal across the border.

Given the affordability of housing in the city, the student population has boomed in recent years bringing a revival in the fortunes of Magee, the oldest campus within the University of Ulster established in 1865 as Magee College.

In 2002 the 145-bedroom "City Hotel" opened. This four-star hotel, part of the Great Southern Hotels group, was built at a cost of £13.8 m - partly funded by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board’s Tourism Development Scheme and the International Fund for Ireland. In May 2006 it was used by the Conference of European Churches for the annual meeting of its Central Committee - the first time the meeting had taken place on the island of Ireland.

Shopping

Londonderry is the western Northern Ireland's major shopping centre and helps to serve outlying areas including rural parts of the county, as well as Tyrone. Retail developments in Letterkenny have, however, lessened cross-border traffic from north County Donegal.

The city centre has two main shopping centres; the Foyleside Shopping Centre (also Northern Ireland's largest shopping centre) which has 45 stores and 1430 parking spaces, and the Richmond Centre, which has 39 retail units. The Quayside Shopping Centre also serves the city-side and there is also Lisnagelvin Shopping Centre in the Waterside. These centres, as well as local-run businesses, feature numerous national and international stores. A retail park was recently built called Cresent Link Retail Park located in the Waterside and boasts many international chain stores, including Homebase, Curries, Carpet Right, PC World, Argos Extra, Toys R Us, Halfords, JJB, Pets at Home, MFI, Tesco Express, M&S Simply food and Land of Leather.

Londonderry is also home to the world's oldest independent department store; Austins. Established in 1830, Austins predates Jenners of Edinburgh by 5 years, Harrods of London by 15 years and Macys of New York by 25 years. The store's five-story Edwardian building is located in the city centre's Diamond.

Night-life

The city's night-life is mainly centred around the weekend. Waterloo Street is central to this. It is a steep street lined with various pubs, both Irish traditional and modern. Live rock and traditional music can frequently be heard emanating from the pub-doors and windows whilst walking up or down the street at night. Londonderry also has a Wetherspoons outlet, which is popular with punters as a pre-club drinking destination, as well as Lloyds No. 1 Bar (also owned by Wetherspoons). The city is renowned for producing exceptionally talented musicians and many bands perform in venues around the city, for example the Smalltown America duo, Fighting with Wire and Jetplane Landing. Triggerman have a resident slot at Mason's Bar, while numerous other young local and indeed international bands perform at the Nerve Centre.

Protestant minority

Concerns have been raised by the Protestant community over the increasingly divided nature of the city. During the course of the Troubles, it is estimated that as many as 15,000 Protestants fled the cityside due to safety concerns. Fewer than 1,000 are now living on the west bank of the River Foyle mostly in the Fountains Estate and it is feared that the city could become permanently divided.[32][33]

However, concerted efforts have been made by local community, church and political leaders from both traditions to redress the problem. A conference to bring together key actors and promote tolerance was held in October 2006. Dr Ken Good, the Church of Ireland Bishop of Londonderry and Raphoe, said he was happy living on the cityside. "I feel part of it. It is my city and I want to encourage other Protestants to feel exactly the same," he said.

Support for Protestants in the district has been strong from the SDLP Mayor Cllr Helen Quigley. Cllr Quigley has made inclusion and tolerance key themes of her mayoralty. The Mayor Helen Quigley said it is time for "everyone to take a stand to stop the scourge of sectarian and other assaults in the city."[34]

Transport

Londonderry’s transport network is built out of a complex array of old and modern roads and railways throughout the city and county. The city's road network also makes use of two bridges to cross the River Foyle, the Craigavon Bridge and the Foyle Bridge, the longest bridge in Ireland.

Buses

City and suburban

File:Ulsterbus Foyle.jpg
Ulsterbus Foyle logo

Most public transport in Northern Ireland is operated by the subsidiaries of Translink. Originally the city's internal bus network was run by Ulsterbus, which still provides the city's connections with other towns in Northern Ireland. The city's buses are now run by Ulsterbus Foyle,[35] just as Translink Metro now provides the bus service in Belfast. The Ulsterbus Foyle network offers 13 routes across the city into the suburban areas.

There is also an Easibus link connecting to the Waterside and Drumahoe, and a free Rail Link Bus runs from the Waterside Railway Station to the city centre. All buses leave from the Foyle Street Bus Station in the city centre.

Long distance

Long distance buses depart from Foyle Street Bus Station to destinations throughout Ireland. Buses are operated by both Ulsterbus and Bus Éireann on cross-border routes and also by Lough Swilly buses to Co. Donegal. There is a half-hourly service to Belfast every day, called the Maiden City Flyer, which is the Goldline Express flagship route. There are hourly services to Strabane, Omagh, Coleraine and Letterkenny, and nine services a day to Dublin. There is a daily service to Sligo, Galway, Shannon Airport and Limerick.

Railways

Northern Ireland Railways has a single route from Waterside station to Belfast via Bellarena, Castlerock, Coleraine, Ballymoney, Cullybackey, Ballymena, Antrim, Mossley West and Whiteabbey. The service, which had been allowed to deteriorate in the 1990s, has since been boosted by increased investment. However, many still do not use the train, due to the fact that at over two hours it is slower centre-to-centre than the 100-minute Ulsterbus Goldline Express service.

Rail-map-Viceregal-1906

At one time, Londonderry was served by four different systems which stretched throughout Northern Ireland, into Co. Donegal and deep into southern Ireland. At the turn of the last centuary, Clones was one of the major junctions from Londonderry, Omagh, and Belfast to north Leinster, in particular, the major market towns of Athlone, Cavan, and Mullingar. This back-bone rail infrastructure was administered by Midland Great Western Railway which also linked to other major centres namely, Sligo, Tullamore, via Clara, other destinations such as Dublin, Limerick, and other market centres of the south coast.

Road network

The road network has historically seen under-investment and has lacked good road connections to both Belfast and Dublin for many years. Long overdue, the largest road investment in the north west’s history is now taking place in the district with the construction of new dual-carriageways and roads to Dungiven and helping to reduce the time it takes to get to Belfast.[36] This development is bringing a direct dual-carriageway linking between Northern Ireland's two largest cities a step closer. The project is costing £250 million and is expected to be completed in 2015. In October 2006, the Irish Government announced that it was to invest €1,000 million in Northern Ireland;[37] and one of the planned projects was the complete upgrade of the A5 Londonderry-Omagh-Aughnacloy(-Dublin) road, around 90km (56 miles) long, to motorway standard.[38]

Air

City of Londonderry Airport, the council-owned commercial airport, has been growing in recent years with new investment in a new runway and £10 million towards redeveloping the site.[39] It is hoped that the new investment will add to the airport's already impressive array of domestic and international flights.

Flights depart mostly to airports in the UK and Ireland, such as Dublin, London Stansted, Liverpool, Nottingham,Glasgow Prestwick Airport and Glasgow International Airport, though also serves some resorts on the southern coast of the Iberian peninsula and the Canary Islands during the summer.

In May 2007, the airport's main carrier, Ryanair, announced that it was starting flights to Bristol to complement its flights to Stansted, Liverpool, East Midlands and Glasgow.

A previously successful route between Londonderry and Manchester was axed by British Airways in 2005 as part of its rationalisation of regional services. Previously Aer Arann had run a service to Birmingham.

Sport

File:Psggame.JPG
Londonderry City F.C. taking on Paris Saint-Germain at the Brandywell Stadium during the 2006 UEFA Cup.

The city is the home of many sporting establishments, teams and organisations, and football, both Association (soccer) and Gaelic are popular in the area. The main soccer teams are: Institute F.C. and Oxford United Stars F.C. who play in the Northern Ireland Irish League; Londonderry City F.C., who play in the Republic of Ireland's FAI National League; and in Gaelic Games Londonderry GAA who play in the Gaelic Athletic Association's National Football League.

Gaelic games

There are many Gaelic Games clubs in and around the city, for example Steelstown GAC, Doire Colmcille CLG, Seán Dolans GAC and Slaughtmanus GAC.

Football

The local soccer league is the Londonderry and District League and teams from the city and surrounding areas participate, including Lincoln Courts, Don Bosco's F.C. and Trojans F.C.

Boxing

There are also countless boxing clubs, one of which the established Boxer, John Duddy, graduated from. There are countless gyms situated throughout the city, including Fitness First. Others include Pro Gym and Platinum also Extreme Fitness owned & run by Derek Lynch. Pro Gym is run by Dave Fox and Malika Zitouni. Dave is a native of Londonderry and is the Nabba Northern Ireland 1997/98 winner. Malika won the Nabba Universe Class 1 2006.

Rugby

Rugby Union is also quite popular in the city, with the City of Londonderry Rugby Club situated not far from the city centre. YMCA RFC is another Rugby club and is based in Drumahoe which is just outside the city.

2001 Census

Londonderry Urban Area (DUA), including the city and the neighbouring settlements of Culmore, New Buildings and Strathfoyle, is classified as a city by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population exceeding 75,000). On census day (29 April 2001) there were 90,736 people living in Londonderry Urban Area. Of these:

  • 27.0% were aged under 16 years and 13.4% were aged 60 and over
  • 48.3% of the population were male and 51.7% were female
  • 77.8% were from a Roman Catholic background and 20.8% were from a Protestant background
  • 7.1% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

Places of interest

File:Londonderry-Guildhall.jpg
Guildhall
File:Hands Across the Divide sculpture, Londonderry.jpg
'Hands Across the Divide' sculpture, by Maurice Harron

Tourism is set to be central to the future economic success of Londonderry. There are many museums and sites of interest in and around the region. Future projects include the Walled City Signature Project, which intends to ensure that the city's walls become a world class tourist experience.[40]

Londonderry has a distinct architectural quality from other Irish cities. This quality can be primarily ascribed to the formal planning of the historic walled city of Londonderry within the walls. This is centred on the diamond with a collection of late Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian buildings maintaining the grid lines of the main thoroughfares (Shipquay Street, Ferryquay Street, Butcher Street and Bishop Street) to the city gates. St Columb's Cathedral does not follow the grid pattern reinforcing it's civic status. The Cathedral was the first post-reformation cathedral built for an Anglican church. The more recent infill buildings within the walls are of varying quality and in many cases these were low quality hurriedly constructed replacements for 1970s bomb damaged buildings. The Townscape Heritage Initiative has funded restoration works to a number of key listed buildings and other older structures such as 2 Castle Street (by Hegarty Architects) and at Castle Gate (Tracey Associates) since 2004. Other historic listed buildings that have been adapted and extended include the basement of the Old City Factory at Patrick Street which is now the Void Art Centre and Gallery, the Verbal Arts Centre and the initially controversial extension to 48 Clarendon Street at the corner of Northland Road. There are a number of 1970s churches by Liam McCormick and Partners in the city and environs, noteably the Roman Catholic church on Steelstown Road. Other recent award winning architecture in Londonderry includes technology pavilions at the Magee campus (University of Ulster), the Collon Bar and Creggan Country Park.

Other existing attractions are:

Events

  • The world-famous "Banks of the Foyle Hallowe’en Carnival" (known in Irish as Féile na Samhna) in Londonderry also prove a huge tourism boost for the city, the carnival is promoted as being the first and longest running Halloween carnival in the whole of Ireland,[42][43] it is the largest street party in Ireland with more than 40,000 ghoulish revellers taking to the streets annually.[44]
  • The Foyle Cup is a youth soccer tournament held every year in the city. It has attracted many notable teams in the past. For example Werder Bremen, IFK Goteborg and Ferencvaros.
  • The Instinct Festival is an annual youth festival celebrating the Arts. It is held around Easter and has proven a success in recent years.
  • Celtronic is a major annual electronic dance festival held at venues all around the city. The 2007 Festival featured the DJ, Erol Alkan.

Famous people from Londonderry

The city in song

Trivia

Londonderry/Londonderry are neighbouring towns in the state of New Hampshire, USA.

Education

See also

File:Bogside Londonderry SMC 2005.jpg
The Bogside area viewed from the walls


References

  1. ^ This is the official Post Town as defined by Royal Mail.
  2. ^ BBC article
  3. ^ Ofcom report,page 14
  4. ^ Londonderry City Council, Re Application for Judicial Review [2007 NIQB 5 (25 January 2007)], http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6297907.stm
  5. ^ Google Map Data Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  6. ^ Education/Oideachas BBC. Retrieved 14 July 2007.
  7. ^ 'Londonderry' Hudson, John. The British Library. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
  8. ^ World Facts Index > United Kingdom > Londonderry worldfacts.us, 2005. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  9. ^ a b Letters Patent certifying the arms of the City of Londonderry issued to Londonderry City Council, sealed by Garter and Norroy and Ulster Kings of Arms dated April 30, 2003
  10. ^ Genealogical Office, Dublin: GO Ms 60, Sketches of arms by Richard Carney, fol. 47
  11. ^ College of Arms, London: The Arms of Peers of Ireland and some Commoners, fol. 133d (c.1652)
  12. ^ L E Rothwell, An inquiry initiated by Londonderry City Council into the ensigns armorial and related matters of the City of Londonderry
  13. ^ Letters Patent ratifying and confirming the arms of the City of Londonderry sealed by Garter and Norroy & Ulster Kings of Arms dated April 28, 1952
  14. ^ Women, art and architecture appear to have achieved a rare symbiosis in a new project in Londonderry Declan Sheehan CIRCA 95, Spring 2001. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  15. ^ History of the Bogside Bloody Sunday Trust. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  16. ^ DERRYS ASSOCIATION WITH SHIRT MAKING www.geocities.com/historyofshirtmakinginderry. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  17. ^ Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, Vol. I. The Process of Capitalist Production. Part IV, Chapter XV Karl Marx. Charles H. Kerr and Co. Chicago, 1906. First published: 1867. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  18. ^ First European Plant – 1958 heritage.dupont.com. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  19. ^ Du Pont (UK) Ltd www.nics.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  20. ^ U.S.-Irish Business Summit Richard N. Haass, Director, Policy Planning Staff, Remarks to the U.S. – Irish Business Summit, Washington, DC. 6 September 2002. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  21. ^ Beyond the Troubles? - Chapter 8, Will there be peace? Peter Hadden, 1994. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  22. ^ House of Commons – Column 372 & 373 1 March 1990. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  23. ^ Ulster Science Park Practical Office Solutions 2005. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  24. ^ Stream – Londonderry, Northern Ireland www.stream.com, 2004. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  25. ^ Home > About Us > Londonderry Raytheon Company, 2004. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  26. ^ Protest over NI missile firm BBC News Online, 25 March 2003. Retrieved 27 August 2006.
  27. ^ Londonderry City Now A 'No–Go' Area for the Arms Trade www.indymedia.ie, 8 January 2004. Retrieved 19 July 2006
  28. ^ 400 Jobs Created in Londonderry and Belfast www.irishdev.com, 6 June 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  29. ^ The Londonderry March – Background Information CAIN Web Service, 23 March 2006.Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  30. ^ NORTHERN IRELAND DURING THE 1960s Irelandseye.com, 1999–2006. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  31. ^ United front to tackle Hain on jobs snub for LondonderryBrendan McDaid, 25 October 2005. Retrieved 27 August 2006.
  32. ^ Catholics urged to support neighbours BBC News website 18 October 2006
  33. ^ Graphical representation of the religious distribution in Londonderry City. Uses 1991 Census figures. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  34. ^ Taking a Stand Londonderry Journal Editorial 11 July 2006
  35. ^ The launch of Ulsterbus Foyle Link to press release for the launch of Ulsterbus Foyle. Retrieved 22 September 2006.
  36. ^ A6 Dualling Dungiven to Londonderry www.wesleyjohnston.com/roads. Retrieved 22 September 2006.
  37. ^ It's trick-or-treat time with Brown STEPHEN DEMPSTER, 24 October 2006, www.belfasttoday.net, Johnston Press Digital Publishing. Retrieved 31 October 2006.
  38. ^ Package would fund biggest-ever cross-border project www.breakingnews.ie, 22/03/2007. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  39. ^ Story of investment £10 million pound investment in City of Londonderry Airport. Retrieved 22 September 2006.
  40. ^ Walled City of Londonderry – Signature Project The Industry Website of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. Retrieved 10 September 2006.
  41. ^ "Londonderry Tourist Guide - sports & leisure". Retrieved January 26 2006.
  42. ^ Banks of the Foyle Hallowe’en Carnival Londonderry City Council. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  43. ^ Masquerading as Subversion? Rebecca Pelan. Politics and Culture. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  44. ^ Ireland, home of Halloween Malcolm Rogers, The Irish Post. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  45. ^ Magee To Host Japanese Animation Convention news.ulster.ac.uk, 7 December 2005. Retrieved 5 September 2006.

External links

File:Craigavon bridge 2005 jonathanmoran.jpg
Craigavon Bridge, one of the city's two bridges.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Londonderry.

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