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Londonderry

Londonderry is Northern Ireland’s unofficial second city. Founded in 546 by St Columba by the River Foyle it was originally named Doire (which became Derry). Local Catholics still prefer to use this shortened name rather than Londonderry, which was imposed later by London merchants.

Londonderry is an historic, walled market town with a long history of trade and commerce.

You can walk around the walls in half an hour easily, even allowing for stops to take in some magnificent architecture.

The Guildhall is one such building. It survived a fire in 1908 and bombing in 1972 yet still stands proudly beneath the walls as a symbol of hope.

In more recent times Londonderry hit the headlines (in 1972) when British troops shot 13 demonstrators dead on Bloody Sunday. This provoked the ‘Troubles’, a conflict that is thankfully being relegated to history.

The famous political murals are here, a unique way to document living history in the Catholic Bogside area.

The heart of Londonderry is the Diamond, a town centre square with some interesting monuments.

Londonderry also has a magnificent cathedral, the first built in the British Isles after the reformation, that dates back to the 1600’s.

See Also: Londonderry photos