Situated on the banks of River Foyle, Derry is the second largest city in Northern Ireland and one of the oldest inhabited places in the whole island of Ireland. As they say there, 'Derry was a city when Belfast was still a swamp'. Derry's history dates back over 1,450 years, a lasting reminder of the early inhabitants of the area is the Iron Age fort, just over the border in County Donegal, known as the Grianan of Aileach.
In the 6th Century St Columba/Colmcille established a monastery in Derry. Shifting ten centuries later to the Plantation of Ulster, King James I of England had the wealthy guilds of London build up the city of Derry (hence the title Londonderry) and surround it by the defensive walls that still ring the city today.
These walls witnessed one of the most prominent events in the history of Derry. In 1688 the city was laid siege by the Earl of Antrim and the Catholic forces of James II, the English king who was deposed in favour of Protestant William of Orange. The settlers of the city who were protestant, barricaded themselves within the walls, when a group of apprentice boys from London on seeing the on coming forces, locked the city gates and so started the Great Siege of Derry.
The siege was to be the longest in British history, lasting some 105 days, during which an estimated third of the city_fs then population of 30,000 died through disease and starvation. When James II himself rode up to the city walls and lay down terms for surrender he was greeted with shouts of _eNo Surrender_f. The siege was finally broken when the relief ship Mountjoy broke the boom which was laid across the River Foyle beside the city.
However the legacy of the Great Siege of Derry lasted for centuries with the Catholic and Protestant communities in Derry still largely divided today. During the years of the Troubles, Derry witnessed some of the most prominent and terrible events of those times. It was on Derry's Bogside area that British soldiers shot dead 14 Catholics in what became known as Bloody Sunday.
Since the peace process in Northern Ireland, Derry is slowly emerging as an upbeat cosmopolitan city with great potential and huge tourist interest. A lot of Derry_fs sights are meshed with its history, the 16th Century walls which surround the city are among the oldest and the best preserved citadel walls in Europe.
A huge percentage of Derry_fs population fall into the 20 ? 30 age group and there are plenty of places to cater for them with lots of clothes shops and boutiques, pubs, bars and clubs and Derry's traditional Irish and folk music scene are well established.
There are scheduled flights to Dublin with Aer Arann [http://www.aerarann.ie], and London Stansted, London Luton, Glasgow Prestwick, Birmingham, Liverpool and Alicante with Ryanair [http://www.ryanair.com]. See [http://www.cityofderryairport.com] for more information.
Northern Ireland Railways (a subsidiary of Translink [http://www.translink.co.uk]) have trains travelling to and from Belfast regularly during the whole day. Trains arrive in Derry's Waterside, with a shuttle bus linking the train station to the (more central) bus station.
The journey between Belfast and Derry takes just over 2 hours and between Coleraine and Derry affords great views along the shores of Lough Foyle, although this method takes longer than the bus as it is less direct. (Follows the coastline in parts)
From Belfast: Start on the M2 and you can either take the main road (A6)to Derry via Dungiven or the scenic drive along the Antrim Coast, passing the Giant's Causeway.
From Dublin: Take the M1 motorway and go as far as the signpost for Derry and Ardee. Then take the N32 whick links to the N2. Follow the N2 via Carrickmacross and Monaghan to the Border where the road then becomes the A5. Travel northwards via Omagh and Strabane until you reach Derry(Londonderry on maps).
From Belfast International Airport: Take the main road to the M2 from the airport through Templepatrick. Follow the signposts onto the main road to Londonderry.
Translink's [http://www.translink.co.uk] Goldline Express No. 212 departs to and from Belfast regularly during the whole day. Dublin is connected with Goldine Express No. 274 and Bus Eireann service No. 33, which runs throughout the night. There is also a connection with the west coast with Bus Eireann service No. 64. Full details of bus services are available from Translink] and Bus Eireann [http://www.buseireann.ie/]
Further services, aimed mainly at travellers arriving into the local airports are operated byAirporter [http://www.airporter.co.uk].
Derry is essential split into two main areas, by the River Foyle - ''The Waterside'' and ''The City Side/Derry Side''. The two banks of the river are connected by two bridges. The eldest of these is the ''Craigavon Bridge'', a double-decker bridge which once carried trains on its lower deck. More-recently constructed of the two was the ''Foyle Bridge''. This is a four-lane concrete bridge, which is further from the city centre.
The East side of the river is known as ''The Waterside''. This is traditionally the home of Derry's unionist population.
The West side of the Foyle is usually known as ''The City Side''. This is predominantly nationalist and contains most of the tourist attractions, the city centre and The Guildhall. Here you will find the '''city walls''' and the '''Bogside'''. The city centre is small and suitable for walking.
Visitors can now travel the length of the final section of the Foyle, from Derry City to Culmore Point (daytime) and on to Greencastle in County Donegal (evenings), on board the Toucan One cruiser. The Toucan One sails seven days a week, and offers full bar facilities and other refreshments. Cruises leave from behind the Derry City Council offices.
For bookings: Harbour Museum, Harbour Square, L_fDerry. T: 7136 2857, F: 7136 2854.
As well as excellent tours around the city and its 17th Century walls, Derry also boasts a number of excellent visitor attractions. The '''Tower Museum''' is an award winning attraction, telling the history of the city and includes a range of exhibitions, while Derry's '''Guildhall''', '''St Columb's Cathedral''', '''St Eugene's Cathedral''' and '''St Augustine's Chapel''' are all historic buildings of stunning architecture.
Other sights include the fascinating '''Bogside Murals''' found on the walls of what is known as Free Derry Corner and depict various events in the history of the town, from the Nationalist perspective. A more contemporary sculpture in the city, known as '''Hands Across the Divide''', serves as a symbol of the two communities coming together.
The '''city walls''' are the best-preserved in all of Ireland and make about a one-mile circumference around the city center.
Walk around Derry on top of the city walls. If open, step into St Augustine's Church on the west side of the city walls, and have a friendly chat with the hosts. If you show a decent amount of respect, you may end up getting a more balanced view of how "The Troubles" was for people living in Derry.
Take a walk around the "Free Derry" corner between the Bogside and the western side of the old city walls. Stop and look at the political murals made by local artists during the 90's, depicting key events in the harsh conflict haunting Northern Ireland. In the same area, the Free Derry monument, Free Derry Museum, and Bloody Sunday memorial are also located.
If you want to learn about the famous murals of the Bogside, make a point of visiting the home of the three men who created them. They are called '''The Bogside Artists''', the name derived from where the twelve murals are situated. These murals called '''The People's Gallery''' are visited by thousands of people each year. They tell the story of over thirty years of turbulent history and unrest with an immediacy and poignancy that has made them one of the major draw magnets of Northern Europe. A great many of these visitors call into the artists' studio situated at the gateway to the Bogside. The famous muralists also conduct tours of their own work and you can find out all about that from [http://www.freederrymurals.com their website].
Most of Derry's retail stores are situated well within walking distance of the city centre. The main shopping malls are Foyleside [http://www.foyleside.co.uk] and the Richmond Centre [http://www.richmondcentre.co.uk]. Between them, these malls contain many of the stores which one would expect to find in any city in the UK or Ireland, such as Marks & Spencer, Debenhams and Dunnes Stores.
Derry's last remaining home-grown department store is Austins, in The Diamond, and claims to be the world's oldest independent department store.
Where you should eat:
'''The Exchange''': The best restaurant in Derry in the opinion of many ... try the duck!
'''Timberquay Restaurant & Wine Bar''' [http://www.timberquay.com], Strand Road: A new vibrant dining experience located on the banks of the River Foyle.
'''McDonalds''', the familiar and worldly popular food chain, two main branches in the city, one on Strand Road, the other within FoyleSide Shopping Center, quick, cheap food for the traveller on the go if one is not fussed with more refined cuisine.
'''Costa Coffee''', very small (located beneath an escalator!), within the FoyleSide Shopping Center, fair priced, delicious coffee and snacks.
'''Danano's''': A really nice Italian that is relatively cheap but great food.
'''Badgers''': A great port of call for lunch while shopping. Can be crowded and cramped at busy times.
'''Quaywest''', Strand Road: by the Waterfront, quite near the Mandarin Palace. Opened in recent years and is quite successful. Serves light and sumptuous cuisine with an array of alcoholic drinks. Relatively cheap.
'''Guava''' healthy food smoothie bar. Can be crowded at most times. If one prefers more substance than a smoothie, there is a choice of non blended food!
'''The Mandarin Palace''', Strand Road: Long established Chinese food restaurant with excellent service and value, if you can spare the cash that is! It is however well worth the money. Open from 5.00 in the evening.
'''The Exchange''': The best restaurant in Derry in the opinion of many ... try the duck!
'''Imperial City''', another upper class Chinese restaurant, recently opened, authentic and delicious menu.
'''Starbucks''', two branches in Derry, on either side of city, one within FoyleSide, expensive on coffee standards, however this massive coffee chain giant offers what it claims to be the ''greatest coffee in the world'' as well as unique snacks.
Derry is a small city with a recent turbulent past. Odds are, you shouldn't have any problems, but be aware of tensions. (see "Stay Safe" below)
'''Peadar O'Donnell's''', 63 Waterloo St, phone +44 (0) 28 7137 2318. If you are looking for traditional Irish folk music sessions, this is the best place in Derry. Such sessions are held nearly every day of the week, and both locals and visitors create a nice atmosphere. Located in the "Catholic" part of the city.
After Belfast, Derry was the main centre of trouble during Northern Ireland's conflict. As a majority Catholic city, there still remain significant tensions between the ''Republican'' and ''Loyalist'' communities in some parts of Derry. In particular, the area known as the '''West Bank''' (a working class housing estate) is best avoided. In addition to this, wearing items of clothing which would identify you as being from any particular religious denomination or political viewpoint (for example Rangers or Celtic football shirts) is not advised.
Derry has developed a reputation as a place with high levels of alcohol-fuelled violence, at weekends in particular, but in actual fact it is really no more than the drunken brawling which blights so many town centres throughout the UK and Ireland. Use your common sense when out for the evening and you will be unlikely to run into any trouble. However due to the past political situation, the arrival of police is more likely to herald the start of trouble rather than the end of it.
The city itself is quite small, making it easily to escape to the surrounding countryside. The county of Derry and nearby County Donegal have a wealth of green fields and sights to appeal to nature lovers. Ulsterbuses can be used for outings. These are operated by Translink.
A trip to the Giant's Causeway on the north coast is highly recommended. If you have a choice, come early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid crowds of tourists treading all over the place. Translink operate buses to and from the Giant's Causeway from both Derry and Belfast.
Not far outside Derry, across the border in Donegal is Grianan of Aileach. This ancient stone fort is on a hilltop between Derry and Letterkenny and affords superb views of loughs Foyle and Swilly, and of Derry itself. The fort at Grianan had been recently closed for renovation work. It is now once again open to the public.