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Walking the walls of Londonderry
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This weeks feature
| There’s an energy in the streets of Derry, backed by a sense of hope. Business is growing and moving apace; community and cross-community projects are thriving.
In the 6th century, St Colmcille (St Columba) created a monastery in a grove surrounded by peat bog ? daire in Gaelic, hence the name Derry. During the Plantation of Ulster under James I, wealthy guilds of the City of London built a fortified city on the site of a destroyed settlement. The county granted to the Londoners, and its city, was renamed Londonderry. |
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In the porch of the Gothic cathedral of St Columb, built in 1633, an inscription reads, ‘If stones could speake then London’s prayse should sound, Who built this church and cittie from the grounde’. The chapter house displays keys to the gates shut against forces loyal to James II in December 1688. The terrible toll of the 105-day Siege of Derry has left its mark on the traditions of the city to this day. |
Built on a hill by the River Foyle, the 17th-century walls, a mile in circumference and 18 feet thick, are unbroken. Within, the original layout remains - four main streets radiating from the square known as the Diamond to impressive stone gateways. Shipquay Street, filled with restaurants and shops, is very steep. The river once lapped at Shipquay Gate; now the shipyards have gone, and a riverboat runs cruises through an attractive city. |
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One of the many murals to be seen in Bogside. |
Walking the walls, with splendid views of the city and out over a landscape of green, is a must. It’s even better if you do it in the company of a guide like Martin McCrossan, who makes history fascinating. The excellent Tower Museum, just inside the walls, is a must-see, too. It’s easy to spend several hours there, taking it all in.
Outside the walls, the Guildhall, resembling its counterpart in London, has colourful stained glass windows illustrating episodes in the city’s history. The quay behind it saw hundreds of thousands of Irish emigrants sail away to a new life. Below the walls on the other side of the city, powerful murals tell their own tale among neat houses in a revitalised Bogside. |
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