Derry
Template:Redirect6 Template:Infobox Irish Place
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/River_Foyle_2004_SeanMcClean.jpg/200px-River_Foyle_2004_SeanMcClean.jpg)
Derry or Londonderry (Irish: Doire or [Doire Cholm Chille] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)), 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 Derry Urban Area (including Culmore, New Buildings and Strathfoyle) had a population of 90,663, and is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland, the fourth on the island of Ireland. It is one of the only places in Europe not to have its walls breached. Derry is near the border with the Republic of Ireland and also serves the west of County Londonderry. The district is run by Derry City Council and has an airport, City of Derry Airport, and a seaport, Londonderry Port.
Name
The city's official name is Londonderry according to the city's Royal Charter and, as stated in a recent High Court decision in January 2007,[1] remains so. It usually appears as such on maps.[2] The city is known by many as Derry, which is an anglicisation of the Irish doire. Doire means ‘Oak-grove’ and comes from the settlement's original name Daire Calgaich, translating as ‘oakwood of Calgach’.[citation needed] The name was changed from Derry in 1613 during the Plantation of Ulster to reflect the establishment of the city by the London guilds. However, most Irish people[citation needed], at home and abroad, still prefer "Derry," so the proper name of the city remains a matter of dispute.
Derry is used by nationalists in Northern Ireland; unionists preferring the city's official name, Londonderry. As for the city's inhabitants, the nationalist majority call it Derry. (In the Republic of Ireland, the city and county are almost always referred to as Derry, on maps, road signs and in conversation.) In official use the city is always known as Londonderry,[3] although some local organisations name themselves after Derry - for example, City of Derry Airport. The council changed the name of the local government district covering the city to Derry on May 7 1984, consequently renaming itself Derry City Council.[4] This did not change the name of the city, although the city is coterminous with the district, and in law the city council are also the "Corporation of Londonderry" or, more formally, the "Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of the City of Londonderry".[5]
The city is also nicknamed the Maiden City by virtue of the fact that its walls were never penetrated during the siege of Derry in the late 17th century. It is also nicknamed 'Stroke City' by local broadcaster, Gerry Anderson, due to the occasional 'politically correct' use of the oblique notation Derry/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."
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/Londonderry_20030911.jpg/180px-Londonderry_20030911.jpg)
History
- Main article: History of Derry
Derry is one of the longest continuously inhabited places in Ireland. The earliest historical references date to the 6th century when a monastery was founded there by St. Columba, 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 rebaptised Doire Cholm Cille, Colmcille’s Oak Grove in remembrance. At this stage, in the 6th century, Derry 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 Derry and Bloody Sunday on 30 January 1972.
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.[6]
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.
Coat of arms and motto
The devices on Derry'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[7]
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 Derry 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".[8][9]
A number of theories have been advanced as to the meaning of the "old" arms of Derry, before the addition of the chief bearing the arms of the City of London:
- It has been suggested that the castle is related to a 13th or 14th century keep in nearby Greencastle belonging to the local native chieftains.
- The most popular theory about the skeleton is that it is that of a Norman De Burca knight who was starved to death in the castle dungeons in 1332. Another explanation put forward was that it depicted Cahir O'Doherty (aka Sir Charles O'Dogherty), who was put to death after the Derry was invested by the English army in 1608. During the days of Gerrymandering and discrimination against the Catholic population of Derry, Derry'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 Derry 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".[10]
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.[11] In 2002 Derry 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.[7]
The motto attached to the coat of arms reads in Latin, "Vita, Veritas, Victoria". This translates into English as, "Life, Truth, Victory".
Climate
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 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.[12] This led to significant male emigration.[13] 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.[14] 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.[15]
A long-term foreign employer in the area is Du Pont, which has been based at Maydown since 1958, its first European production facility.[16] Originally Neoprene was manufactured at Maydown and subsequently followed by Hypalon. More recently Lycra and Kevlar® production units were active.[17] 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.[18]
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.[19] This was reflected by 1990 questions to The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Richard Needham).[20] It was noted that it cost £30,000 to create one job in an American firm in Northern Ireland.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Seagate_building_Derry_2005.jpg/200px-Seagate_building_Derry_2005.jpg)
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 Derry contact centre in December 2006 which 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[21] in January 1995, it is now the third-largest employer in the district.[22] 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.[23] 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.[24] Following four years of protest by the Foyle Ethical Investment Campaign, in 2004 Derry City Council passed a motion declaring the district a "A 'No–Go' Area for the Arms Trade".[25]
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:
Derry 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.[26]
The most significant employers in the region are:
International:
- Firstsource (India)
- DuPont (US)
- INVISTA (US)
- Stream International (US)
- Seagate Technology (US)
- Perfecseal, Bemis (US)
- NTL (US)
- Arntz Belting (Germany)
- Raytheon (US)
- Northbrook Technology (US)
- Invision Software (Germany)
- Homeloan Management Ltd - HML (UK)
Local:
- Desmonds – Northern Ireland’s largest privately-owned company. (International garment manufacturing and sourcing)
- E&I Engineering
- St. Brendan’s Irish Cream Liqueur Ltd
- Singularity (software products and services)
- McCambridge Duffy Ltd - MCD
Source (pdf)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Magee_University_Derry_SMC_2005.jpg/200px-Magee_University_Derry_SMC_2005.jpg)
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.[27][28] 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 Derry Airport.[citation needed] Local ratepayers subsidise it through the council.
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 Derry. Even in October 2005, there was perceived bias against the comparitvely 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.[29]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Shipquay_Street_Derry_SMC_2005.jpg/200px-Shipquay_Street_Derry_SMC_2005.jpg)
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 Derry 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
Derry 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 malls; 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. These centres, as well as local-run businesses, feature numerous national and international stores.
Derry is also home to the world's oldest independent department store; Austin's. Established in 1830, Austin's predates Jenner's of Edinburgh by 5 years, Harrod's of London by 15 years and Macy's 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. Derry 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.[30][31]
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 Derry 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 mayorality. 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."[32]
Transport
Derry’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
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,[33] 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.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/Map_Rail_Ireland_Viceregal_Commission_1906.jpg/220px-Map_Rail_Ireland_Viceregal_Commission_1906.jpg)
At one time, Derry 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 Derry, 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.[34] 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;[35] and one of the planned projects was the complete upgrade of the A5 Derry-Omagh-Aughnacloy(-Dublin) road, around 90km (56 miles) long, to motorway standard.[36]
Taxis
The city has the highest concentration of taxis in the province[citation needed]. The largest of these is Waterside Taxis, which operate from the Bond Street area[citation needed].
Air
City of Derry 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.[37] 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 Derry and Manchester was axed by British Airways in 2005 as part of its rationalisation of regional services. Previously Aer Arran had run a service to Birmingham.
Sport
The city is the home of many sporting establishments, teams and organisations, and football, both Association (soccer) and Gaelic is popular in the area. The main teams are Derry City F.C., who play in the Republic of Ireland's FAI National League, and Derry GAA respectively. Other soccer teams include Institute F.C. and Oxford United Stars F.C., both of whom play in the Irish League. There are many Gaelic teams in and around the city, for example Steelstown GAC, Doire Colmcille GAC and St Mary's Slaughtmanus.
The local soccer league is the Derry and District League and teams from the city and surrounding areas participate, including Don Bosco's F.C. and Trojans F.C. not forgetting Lincoln Courts.
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 Derry and is the Nabba Northern Ireland 1997/98 winner. Malika won the Nabba Universe Class 1 2006.
Rugby is also quite popular in the city, with the City of Derry Rugby Club situated not far from the city centre. YMCA RFC is another Rugby club and is based in Drumahoe.
2001 Census
Derry 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 Derry 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
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Derry-Guildhall.jpg/200px-Derry-Guildhall.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/%27Hands_Across_the_Divide%27_sculpture%2C_Derry.jpg/200px-%27Hands_Across_the_Divide%27_sculpture%2C_Derry.jpg)
Tourism is set to be central to the future economic success of Derry. 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.[38]
Other existing attractions are:
- Templemore Sports Complex, which has hosted the European Boxing Championships and is claimed to be capable of hosting "any indoor sport up to international level".[39]
- Amelia Earhart Centre And Wildlife Sanctuary
- Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall
- Ballyoan Cemetery
- The Bogside
- Murals by the Bogside Artists
- The Craft Village
- Free Derry Corner
- The O'Doherty Tower
- Guildhall
- Harbour Museum
- Museum of Free Derry (Online)
- St Columb's Cathedral and Chapter House Museum
- Tower Museum
- Workhouse Museum
- Foyle Bridge - second-longest bridge in Ireland (and Ireland's only award winning bridge)
- Craigavon Bridge.
- Foyle Valley Railway Centre
- The Nerve Centre - Centre of Culture and Arts
- Brunswick Super Bowl, Pennyburn
- St. Columb's Park and Leisure Centre
- St. Eugene's Cathedral
- Creggan Country Park
- The Millenium Forum - Theatre
- Strand Bingo Club
Events
- The world-famous "Banks of the Foyle Hallowe’en Carnival" (known in Irish as Féile na Samhna) in Derry 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,[40][41] it is the largest street party in Ireland with more than 40,000 ghoulish revellers taking to the streets annually.[42]
- In March, the city hosts the Big Tickle Comedy Festival, which in 2006 featured Dara Ó Briain and Colin Murphy. In April the city plays host to City of Derry Jazz and Big Band Festival and in November the Foyle Film Festival, the biggest film festival in Northern Ireland.
- Every summer the city hosts Tomo-Dachi, Ireland's largest Anime convention, which in July 2006 was held at Magee College, University of Ulster.[43] Hundreds of fans from across the UK and Ireland descended upon the city for the event.
- The siege of Derry is commemorated annually by the fraternal organisation the Apprentice Boys of Derry in the week long Maiden City Festival.
- 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.
- Radio 1's Big Weekend was held in Derry in Prehen Playing Fields in 2004.
- The Glasgowbury Festival takes place every year outside Draperstown. It features the best in local talent as well as more well known names.
- Celtronic is a major annual electronic dance festival held at venues all around the city. The 2007 Festival will feature the DJ, Erol Alkan.
Famous people from Derry
- Andrew Simpson - Actor
- Liam Ball - Olympic Swimmer
- Seamus Ball - Actor
- Amanda Burton - (Born in Balloughry, County Londonderry) Actress. Best known for her role as forensic pathologist Doctor (later Professor) "Sam Ryan" in the BBC crime drama series Silent Witness.
- Gregory Campbell - Democratic Unionist Party Member of Parliament for East Londonderry
- Willie Carson - Photo-journalist and author.
- Joyce Cary - Author. Two of his novels were made into films: The Horse's Mouth (1958) starring Sir. Alec Guinness and Mister Johnson (1990)
- Phil Coulter - Songwriter. Wrote The Town I Loved So Well (See below)
- Nadine Coyle - Singer (Girls Aloud)
- Peter Cunnah Lead singer with 1990s pop outfit D:ream.
- Dana - Won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1970, later became a politician.
- Seamus Deane - Writer
- Nigel Dodds - Democratic Unionist Party Member of Parliament for Belfast North
- Richard Doherty - Catholic Unionist/Royal Ulster Constabulary reservist, writer, military historian
- Willie Doherty - Visual Artist. Twice nominated for the Turner Prize.
- Roma Downey - Actress. Best known for her role as Monica, the main character of the religious TV series Touched by an Angel
- John Duddy - Boxer
- Mark Durkan - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) Member of Parliament for Foyle (the Derry area)
- George Farquhar - Restoration dramatist.
- Bronagh Gallagher - Actress/singer. Films include Pulp Fiction and The Commitments.
- Neil Hannon - Lead singer of The Divine Comedy.
- John Hume - Nobel Peace Prize-winning former leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party and former MP for Foyle 1983-2005.
- John Lawrence - Soldier and administrator in 19th century India and Viceroy of India
- Josef Locke - Tenor singer, popular in the 1940s and 1950s.
- Johnny McCauley - Singer/songwriter. Founder of the "Country & Irish" sound who penned "Pretty Little Girl From Omagh", "Hometown On The Foyle" and many more.
- Mark McFadden - Television journalist
- Martin McGuinness - Sinn Féin MP for Mid Ulster, formerly commanding officer of the Provisional IRA.
- Charlie Nash - Boxer. Former European and British lightweight champion.
- Cahir O'Doherty - Musician in bands Fighting With Wire, Jetplane Landing and Seafood.
- Martin O'Neill - Former manager of Celtic Football Club current manager of Aston Villa F.C.; from Kilrea.
- Feargal Sharkey - Lead singer of The Undertones and current chairman of the Live Music Forum.
- Whan William Taylor Botanist see Irish plant Collectors 1811-1866
The city in song
|
|
Trivia
Derry/Londonderry are neighbouring towns in the state of New Hampshire, USA.
Education
See also
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Bogside_Derry_SMC_2005.jpg/200px-Bogside_Derry_SMC_2005.jpg)
References
- ^ Derry City Council, Re Application for Judicial Review [2007 NIQB 5 (25 January 2007)], http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6297907.stm
- ^ Google Map Data Retrieved 5 September 2006.
- ^ SDLP man's house targeted again BBC News Online, 28 November 2005. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
- ^ Change of District Name (Londonderry) Order 1984
- ^ Sections 7, 8 and 132 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 (Eliz II 20 & 21 c.9)
- ^ World Facts Index > United Kingdom > Londonderry worldfacts.us, 2005. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
- ^ a b Letters Patent certifying the arms of the City of Londonderry issued to Derry City Council, sealed by Garter and Norroy and Ulster Kings of Arms dated April 30, 2003
- ^ Genealogical Office, Dublin: GO Ms 60, Sketches of arms by Richard Carney, fol. 47
- ^ College of Arms, London: The Arms of Peers of Ireland and some Commoners, fol. 133d (c.1652)
- ^ L E Rothwell, An inquiry initiated by Derry City Council into the ensigns armorial and related matters of the City of Londonderry
- ^ 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
- ^ Women, art and architecture appear to have achieved a rare symbiosis in a new project in Derry Declan Sheehan CIRCA 95, Spring 2001. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
- ^ History of the Bogside Bloody Sunday Trust. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
- ^ DERRYS ASSOCIATION WITH SHIRT MAKING www.geocities.com/historyofshirtmakinginderry. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
- ^ 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.
- ^ First European Plant – 1958 heritage.dupont.com. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
- ^ Du Pont (UK) Ltd www.nics.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Beyond the Troubles? - Chapter 8, Will there be peace? Peter Hadden, 1994. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
- ^ House of Commons – Column 372 & 373 1 March 1990. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
- ^ Ulster Science Park Practical Office Solutions 2005. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
- ^ Stream – Londonderry, Northern Ireland www.stream.com, 2004. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
- ^ Home > About Us > Londonderry Raytheon Company, 2004. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
- ^ Protest over NI missile firm BBC News Online, 25 March 2003. Retrieved 27 August 2006.
- ^ Derry City Now A 'No–Go' Area for the Arms Trade www.indymedia.ie, 8 January 2004. Retrieved 19 July 2006
- ^ 400 Jobs Created in Derry and Belfast www.irishdev.com, 6 June 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
- ^ The Derry March – Background Information CAIN Web Service, 23 March 2006.Retrieved 5 September 2006.
- ^ NORTHERN IRELAND DURING THE 1960s Irelandseye.com, 1999–2006. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
- ^ United front to tackle Hain on jobs snub for DerryBrendan McDaid, 25 October 2005. Retrieved 27 August 2006.
- ^ Catholics urged to support neighbours BBC News website 18 October 2006
- ^ Graphical representation of the religious distribution in Derry City. Uses 1991 Census figures. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
- ^ Taking a Stand Derry Journal Editorial 11 July 2006
- ^ The launch of Ulsterbus Foyle Link to press release for the launch of Ulsterbus Foyle. Retrieved 22 September 2006.
- ^ A6 Dualling Dungiven to Londonderry www.wesleyjohnston.com/roads. Retrieved 22 September 2006.
- ^ It's trick-or-treat time with Brown STEPHEN DEMPSTER, 24 October 2006, www.belfasttoday.net, Johnston Press Digital Publishing. Retrieved 31 October 2006.
- ^ Package would fund biggest-ever cross-border project www.breakingnews.ie, 22/03/2007. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
- ^ Story of investment £10 million pound investment in City of Derry Airport. Retrieved 22 September 2006.
- ^ Walled City of Derry – Signature Project The Industry Website of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. Retrieved 10 September 2006.
- ^ "Derry Tourist Guide - sports & leisure". Retrieved January 26 2006.
- ^ Banks of the Foyle Hallowe’en Carnival Derry City Council. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
- ^ Masquerading as Subversion? Rebecca Pelan. Politics and Culture. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
- ^ Ireland, home of Halloween Malcolm Rogers, The Irish Post. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
- ^ Magee To Host Japanese Animation Convention news.ulster.ac.uk, 7 December 2005. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Google satellite view of Derry, the Foyle and the Swilly
- Derry City Council
- Derry Journal Newspaper
- Derry visitor information
- City of Derry Airport
- Derry City FC
- Derry G.A.A.
- Doire Colmcille CLG
- City of Derry Rugby
- Londonderry Port
- Lough Swilly Yacht Club
- Apprentice Boys of Derry
- Londonderry Chamber of Commerce
- Derry forums
- Waterside community
- BBC Radio Foyle (local radio station)
- A Socio-Economic Profile of the Derry City Council Area (pdf)
- Ebrington Presbyterian Church
- The Charters of Londonderry