Derry or Londonderry
July 11, 2019
Derry or Londonderry, according to who you ask, is the only walled city in Ireland and is in the western side of Northern Ireland on the Foyle River. We took a walking tour to learn about its history and it was very interesting. Derry has been its name for over 400 years for its Irish Protestant inhabitants. At some point, the English decided they wanted it and Catholic King James came in with soldiers in 1688. Some young apprentice boys slammed the gates shut and held the city for the Protestants. The siege lasted 105 days. The British eventually took it and changed its name to Londonderry. Ever since there have been Troubles between the Catholics and Protestants. As late as the 1980s, there have been violent clashes. It’s now been 38 years of mostly quiet and the city leaders and church leaders are coming together trying to bring peace. They’ve just built a peace bridge connecting Londonderry (mostly Catholic) to the mostly Protestant Edrington across the River Foyle.
After Derry, we visited the town of Portstewart and then decided to go to the Old Bushmills Distillery. We got there after their last tour, but we did go to their tasting room and gift shop.
We had a nice dinner at Neptune and Prawn in downtown Portrush.
Derry or Londonderry, according to who you ask, is the only walled city in Ireland and is in the western side of Northern Ireland on the Foyle River. We took a walking tour to learn about its history and it was very interesting. Derry has been its name for over 400 years for its Irish Protestant inhabitants. At some point, the English decided they wanted it and Catholic King James came in with soldiers in 1688. Some young apprentice boys slammed the gates shut and held the city for the Protestants. The siege lasted 105 days. The British eventually took it and changed its name to Londonderry. Ever since there have been Troubles between the Catholics and Protestants. As late as the 1980s, there have been violent clashes. It’s now been 38 years of mostly quiet and the city leaders and church leaders are coming together trying to bring peace. They’ve just built a peace bridge connecting Londonderry (mostly Catholic) to the mostly Protestant Edrington across the River Foyle.
After Derry, we visited the town of Portstewart and then decided to go to the Old Bushmills Distillery. We got there after their last tour, but we did go to their tasting room and gift shop.
We had a nice dinner at Neptune and Prawn in downtown Portrush.
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