The City of Derry began as the site of a monastery, founded by St. Columba in 546. Its name came from the Gaelic word Doire, which means ‘oak grove’. The area of the original monastery is now known as the Diamond, located at the very center of the city. All main Derry streets radiate outward from the Diamond, and extend to the banks of the River Foyle.
Second in size only to the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland, Derry has been most widely publicized in recent decades for violence occurring there in connection with the Troubles.
History:
After the Flight of the Earls in 1613, Derry became the focus of an extensive plantation project attributed to several livery companies based in London. These London merchants exported English and Scottish Protestant settlers to the city, where they constructed complete towns and villages for them to occupy. The London influence became so pervasive that the city’s name was changed to Londonderry, but most of the citizenry still use the name Derry.
Derry’s nickname, ” the Maiden City” stems from the historical fact that the city’s fortification walls have never been breached in battle. They are more than 30 feet thick in places, and their impenetrable nature is mainly responsible for the nickname. The walls are still standing in good condition, although the city has grown far past these original boundaries. The walls of Derry are ranked among the most well preserved in Europe.
The toughest test of the walls of Derry was probably the Siege of 1688-89, when a group of young apprentices slammed the city’s gate in the face of King James II and resisted takeover by the Catholic King. The citizens of Derry held fast for 105 days, many of them starving or reduced to eating dogs and cats. Their survival was instrumental in the establishment of King William II, the Protestant King, on England’s throne.
Many citizens of Derry emigrated to America in the 17th and 18th centuries, and the city developed a strong connection to Boston, where a large portion of the immigrants settled.
In 1932, Amelia Earhart landed in Derry upon completion of her flight across the Atlantic. It is said that the first Derry resident to greet her displayed the traditional local common sense attitude, saying, “Aye, and what do you want, then?”
A more recent event in the history of Derry that left an impression on the country and the world at large was Bloody Sunday, January 20, 1972, when British soldiers fired upon a group of unarmed protesters, killing 14. Visitors to Derry will see this day memorialized in a variety of ways around the city.