Derry Girl

For people of my generation Derry, or Londonderry if you prefer the official name, was synonymous with 'The Troubles'. In 1972 the Bloody Sunday massacre, where unarmed civilians were shot by British soldiers ignited tensions and violence that was to cause so much pain and suffering in Northern Ireland through that decade and into the 1980's, spreading to the UK mainland with many terrorist attacks by the IRA. Since the Good Friday agreement Northern Ireland has enjoyed three decades of relative peace and increased prosperity but it was clear to us as we had driven around that strong sectarian divisions still remained.

Derry has since gained a reputation as a vibrant cultural and historic city - it was the first UK City of Culture in 2013 - and one where the catholic and protestant communities are less divided. In recent years the comedy Derry Girls has also put the city on the map.

I was keen to explore, so on a thankfully dry morning we set off on a 50 mile drive to see what Derry had to offer. The city spans the River Foyle with the Protestant minority population living mainly on the west bank, with the Catholic majority on the east. Derry is the only completely intact walled city in Ireland, its walls were built between 1613 - 19 to protect the English and Scottish settlers who arrived as part of the plantation policies promoted by the English government and crown to control the Irish population who were not too keen on being ruled by the English.

We parked the car just outside the city walls on the banks of the Foyle and walked along to see the Peace Bridge. This elegant pedestrian and cycle bridge was built in 2011 and creates a physical connection between the two communities.

The Peace Bridge

Having walked across the bridge and back we made our way under the Shipquay Gate, one of the original entrances to the city and had a quick look in a little courtyard at some craft shops before continuing uphill to the central square called...The Diamond.

Derry Craft Village

From there we carried on in a straight line to cross the Diamond and join the walls at Bishopsgate and then started a circuit in a clockwise direction. This gave us views out to the Bogside and our first glimpse of the murals - I planned to walk there later in the day. 

The Bogside

The walls undulate and having got about a third of the way and having turned a corner we decided it was time for a coffee break. The Guildhall had a nice looking cafe so we dropped down off the walls and made our way there.    

Derry Girl!

Derry Walls

The Guildhall is a grand Victorian building that is the Derry City Council headquarters. A one way system was in operation and although we had only planned to grab a coffee we ended up getting a quick tour. There was a short but informative exhibition on the history of plantation in Derry and a rather grand hall in gothic style with Victorian stained glass - all rather lovely and the cafe lived up to expectations to as we sat outside not far from the river bank enjoying the warm sunshine that had now appeared.

The Guildhall

The Guildhall, Derry

Revived by coffee and cake we rejoined the city walls and carried on, passing an Anthony Gormley sculpture by an arts centre and then reached the Derry Girls mural that celebrates the central characters of the hit tv comedy.

The next stretch took us past St Columb's cathedral. St Columba is recorded as having established a monastery here in the 6th century, although the current cathedral was built in 1613 by the London settlers.

St Columb's Cathedral

Although Derry is now a peaceful and more prosperous city than it was 50 years ago and the community is much more integrated, its not hard to see the stark religious and political differences that still divide people and this became evident as we looked through the walls at a small housing estate that was clearly a Unionist area with a fairly uncompromising street corner message.

With the Catholic Bogside less than a mile away on the opposite side of the walls - (with equally visible symbols of republican allegiances) we were aware that below the surface there were probably still some tensions - and whilst Derry has been peaceful, earlier that year Belfast had seen outbreaks of violence, primarily because of Brexit and the operation of the Northern Ireland protocol and the perceived threat that Unionists feel. 

A full circuit of the walls completed we headed back to the Diamond to find somewhere to grab a sandwich. 'The Sandwich Co' did what their name suggests, we were able to have sandwiches made to order and sat outside munching away reflecting on an interesting morning in which we'd seen some of the cultural historic and religious and political aspects of Derry - all within a very compact area.

After lunch we headed towards the Bogside - the heart of the Catholic and Republican community. It was interesting that within only a street from the city walls the area had taken on a distinctly different character. A street of very typical Irish pubs led around the corner to a street of 'museums' with large photographs of IRA hunger strikers.

Another couple of junctions brought us to the start of Rossville Street. On one side of the road the gable walls of council housing have been decorated with large murals. The first is apolitical, a striking image of a bee and foxgloves.

Further on the murals remember events from the troubles and interspersed with these are other murals strong support for and commemoration of IRA 'martyrs'.

The murals and street art is striking, well executed and uncompromising. Walking around I felt very much a stranger in a strange land. If ever a street could convey through visual imagery what stark differences of attitude and belief existed in such a small community this was it. I try and approach visiting places in an objective and non judgmental manner. I am aware that as a traveller, passing through, my transitory understanding of culture and belief is limited and conditioned by my own experiences. This said it was hard to see a smaller mural that urged the onlooker to 'salute the men and women of violence'. There are clearly still people in Derry, on both sides of the divide, and probably now a tiny minority, who feel armed conflict is both justifiable and necessary in order to achieve their goals. As an instinctive pacifist it was hard to remain objective when confronted by this.

At the heart of the community is the 'Free Derry' wall - a link back to the time when the catholic community, who undoubtedly suffered awful discrimination, attempted to assert their civil rights. Nearby are memorials to the hunger strikers and those killed on Bloody Sunday.

Bogside

The Bloody Sunday memorial, Bogside

It was a sobering afternoon in many ways. When I travel, much as I love seeing new landscapes of mountains, coasts, wildlife and seeing places with ancient history I also like to gain some understanding of the culture and recent history of a place even if this can require you to confront very different beliefs to those you hold.

It was nearly time to depart - the time had passed very quickly - but as we had walked miles we felt an ice cream was called for before setting off and couldn't resist trying a newly opened local ice cream parlour just outside the city walls with appropriately designed outdoor seating.  

We'd had a varied and thought provoking day in Derry. There is definitely a vibrancy to the city, a clear history of struggle and conflict and, still, fundamental differences in mindset, but also signs that the majority of people are integrating and the divided communities are coming together and want nothing more than a peaceful and prosperous future. I hope the progress of recent years continues.