City of Derry

Derry, officially Londonderry but mostly referred to as Derry, was founded in the 6th century by St. Columbra, an Irish abbot and missionary. He established a monastery here. The photo is of the west bank of Derry which is mainly Catholic. The east bank, on the other side of the River Foyle, is mainly Protestant.

Derry Walk

Our tour director, Barbara, led us on a walk from our hotel, the City Hotel Derry, located in the historic area. It is a Sunday and the streets are mostly deserted.

Derry Walk

Our walk took us up a very steep hill.

St. Columba Cathedral

We reached our goal, the St. Columba Cathedral, built between 1628 and 1633.

St. Columba Cathedral

Inside the cathedral. It was September 11 and we were here to hear a prayer for the September 11, 2001, victims.

Free Derry

After visiting the St. Columba Cathedral, we went to Free Derry, which was declared by the nationalists to be an autonomous area of Derry and which existed between 1969 and 1972. Free Derry was secured by activists in the community following an incursion by the Royal Ulster Constanbulary (RUC)––the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001.

Bogside Murals

Free Derry is also the location of the 12 Bogside People’s Gallery Murals which have been painted on the walls of buildings.

Bogside Mural

Close–up of the mural in the last photo. It is named the “Bloody Sunday Mural.” The mural is of a group of men, led by a Catholic priest, carrying the body of Jack Duddy from the scene of the shooting on Bloody Sunday, January 30, 1972. Fourteen unarmed civilians were killed by British paratroopers on that day.

Bloody Sunday Memorial

Photo is of a memorial in Bogside to those who died on Bloody Sunday, which lists the names of the 14 men who lost their lives.

Bogside Posters

There are also many Bogside posters including this more unusual one: “In memory of those from this area who left Ireland to fight against Fascism during the Spanish Civil War, 1936–1933.”

I have put the Bogside Murals and other murals and posters in the area on a slideshow. Go to

http://www.peggysphotos.com/derry–bogside–murals/

(Slide Shows, Western Europe, Northern Ireland, “Derry: Bogside Murals”).

Guildhall

After visiting Bogside, we went inside the Guildhall, a Gothic building of sandstone that was built in 1890.

Guildhall

Some of the stained glass windows of the Guildhall. I went back to see an exhibition here on the Plantations of Ireland. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Great Britain confiscated land in Ireland and gave it to colonists from that country and other countries. The Plantations created a large Protestant ruling class, replacing the Catholic one. In 1641, the Irish Catholics rebelled and formed their own government, which was subsequently crushed. The current partition of Ireland into the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland had it roots in the Plantation era. No photos were allowed of the exhibit.

Tower Museum

We walked through the Magazine Gate and past the Tower Museum. I went back to visit the museum, which had a 1916 exhibition of the Easter Rising or Easter Rebellion in Ireland that occurred during Easter Week, April 1916. The armed insurrection was to end British rule of Ireland and to establish an independent republic.  The British were able to quell the rebellion but it led eventually to Irish independence and the founding of the Republic of Ireland.

Tower Museum

Most of the rest of the museum was devoted to The Story of Derry. No photos allowed.

City Walls

We next took a walk on the City Walls. Derry is the only completely walled city in Ireland. The 1–mile (1.6–k) in circumference walls were built in 1613–1619 and they have never been breached. The walls are between 12 and 35 feet tall (3.7 and 10.7 m).

St. Columba Cathedral

The St. Columba Cathedral seen on a walk on the City Walls. After returning from the City Walls, an optional tour to the Ulster American Folk Park was available. I didn’t take it and went to the Guildhall and the Tower Museum instead.

Peace Bridge

Back in our hotel area, I viewed the Peace Bridge built in 2011 over the River Foyle connecting the mainly Unionist (Protestant) east bank to the mainly Nationalist (Catholic) west bank.

River Foyle

Next, I a took a ride on the Derry hop–on hop–off bus which traveled over the bridge between the west bank (mainly Catholic) and the east band (mainly Protestant).

Peace Statue

On the west side of the River Foyle is the Hands Across the Divide statue of two men reaching out to each other, symbolizing the spirit of reconciliation and hope for the future.

I have put my photos of my tour around the city of Derry on a slideshow. Go to

http://www.peggysphotos.com/derry–around–the–city/

(Slideshows, Western Europe, Northern Ireland, “Derry: Around the City”).