Contents
Derry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coordinates: 7°18′27″W / 54.9958, -7.3074
Derry/LondonderryScots: Derrie/Lunnonderrie
Irish: Doire Cholm Cille/Doire
Maiden City, Stroke City
Vita Veritas Victoria
"Life, Truth, Victory"
Derry/Londonderry shown within Northern Ireland
Population City Proper:
83,652
Derry Urban Area:
90,663
(2001 Census)
Irish grid reference
District Derry City
County County Londonderry
Constituent country Northern Ireland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town LONDONDERRY[1]
Postcode district BT47, BT48
Dialling code 028
Police Northern Ireland
Fire Northern Ireland
Ambulance Northern Ireland
European Parliament Northern Ireland
UK Parliament Foyle
NI Assembly Foyle
Website: www.derrycity.gov.uk
List of places: UK • Northern Ireland • County Londonderry
Derry or Londonderry (Irish: Doire or Doire Cholm Chille, meaning Oak wood of Colm Cille), often called the Maiden City, is a city in Northern Ireland. The old walled city of Londonderry lies on the west bank of the River Foyle with the location of old Derry on the east bank, the present city now covers both banks (Cityside to the west and Waterside to the east) and the river is spanned by two bridges.
The city district also extends to rural areas to the southeast of the city. The population of the city proper was 83,652 in the 2001 Census. The Derry Urban Area had a population of 90,663, making it the second-largest city in Northern Ireland[2][3] and Ulster, and the fourth largest on the island of Ireland.[4] The wider Derry City Council area had a population of 107,300 as of June 2006.[5] The district is administered by Derry City Council and contains both Londonderry Port and City of Derry Airport.
Derry was the last city in the British Isles to be enclosed with defensive walls, and has the most complete series of city walls in the islands.[6] It is one of the few cities in Europe that never saw these fortifications breached.
Derry is very near the border with County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. The city has had a very close relationship with what is now County Donegal for centuries. The person traditionally seen as the 'founder' of the original Derry is St. Columba (also known as Colm Cille or St. Columb), a holy man and royal prince from Tír Chonaill, the old name for almost all of modern County Donegal (of which the west bank of the Foyle was a part before c. 1600). Derry and the nearby town of Letterkenny form the major economic core of northwest Ireland.
Name
According to the city's Royal Charter the official name is Londonderry and, as stated in a recent High Court decision in January 2007,[7][8] remains so. It usually appears as such on maps.[9] The city is known by many as Derry, which is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire, which in modern Irish is spelt Doire, and translates as ‘Oak-grove’. The name derives from the settlement's earliest references, Daire Calgaich (‘oakwood of Calgach’).[10] The name was changed from Derry in 1613 during the Plantation of Ulster to reflect the establishment of the city by the London guilds.[11][12]
The name "Derry" is preferred by nationalists and it is broadly used throughout Northern Ireland's Catholic community,[13] as well as those of the Republic of Ireland, whereas many unionists prefer "Londonderry"; however in everyday conversation Derry is also used frequently by Protestants.[14] Apart from this local government decision, official use within the UK the city is usually[13] known as Londonderry. In the Republic of Ireland, the city and county are almost always referred to as Derry, on maps, in the media and in conversation[citation needed]. Whereas official road signs in the Republic use the name Derry, those in Northern Ireland bear Londonderry (sometimes abbreviated to L'Derry), although some of these have been defaced with the reference to London obscured, by those who disagree with the UK's official spelling.[14] Usage varies among local organisations, with both names being used. Examples are City of Derry Airport, City of Derry Rugby Club, Derry City FC and the Protestant Apprentice Boys Of Derry, as opposed to Londonderry Port and Londonderry Chamber Of Commerce.[15] The council changed the name of the local government district covering the city to Derry on 7 May 1984, consequently renaming itself Derry City Council.[16] This did not change the name of the city, although the city is coterminous with the district, and in law the city council is also the "Corporation of Londonderry" or, more formally, the "Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of the City of Londonderry".[17] The form "Londonderry" is used for the post town by the Royal Mail.
The city is also nicknamed the Maiden City by virtue of the fact that its walls were never penetrated during the siege of Derry in the late 17th century.[18] It is also nicknamed 'Stroke City' by local broadcaster, Gerry Anderson, due to the 'politically correct' use of the oblique notation Derry/Londonderry.[13] A recent addition to the landscape has been the erection of several large stone columns on main roads into the city welcoming drivers, euphemistically, to "the walled city."
History
The city has long been a focal point for important events in Irish history, including the 1688-1689 siege of Derry and Bloody Sunday on 30 January 1972.
Early history
Derry is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in Ireland.[19] The earliest historical references date to the 6th century when a monastery was founded there by St. Columba or Colmcille, a famous saint from what is now County Donegal, but for thousands of years before that people had been living in the vicinity.
Before leaving Ireland to spread Christianity elsewhere, Columba founded a monastery in the then Doire Calgach, on the east side of the Foyle. According to oral and documented history, the site was granted to Columba by a local king. The monastery then remained in the hands of the federation of Columban churches who regarded Colmcille as their spiritual mentor. The year 546 is often referred to as the date that the original settlement was founded. However it is accepted that this was an erroneous date assigned by medieval chroniclers.[19] It is accepted that between the 6th century and the 11th century, Derry was known primarily as a monastic settlement.[19]
The town became strategically more significant during the Tudor conquest of Ireland and came under frequent attack, until in 1608 it was destroyed by Cahir O'Doherty, Irish chieftain of Inishowen.
Plantation
Planters organised by London livery companies through The Honourable The Irish Society arrived in the 1600s as part of the plantation of Ulster, and built the city of Londonderry across the Foyle from the earlier town, with walls to defend it from Irish insurgents who did not welcome the occupation. The aim was to settle Ulster with a population supportive of the Crown.[12]
This Londonderry was the first planned city in Ireland: it was begun in 1613, with the walls being completed 5 years later in 1618. The central diamond within a walled city with four gates was thought to be a good design for defence. The grid pattern chosen was subsequently much copied in the colonies of British North America.[20] The charter initially defined the city as extending three Irish miles (about 6.1 km) from the centre.