Today is the feast day of St Columba, patron saint of Derry, the second largest city in Northern Ireland. 10 facts about Derry, also sometimes known as Londonderry.
The name Derry comes from the Irish word doire, meaning “Oak grove.” The “London” bit was added in 1613 when King James I granted the city a royal charter, handing it to the citizens of London to rebuild. Hence it has been called the first planned city in Ireland. While the official name used by the UK government is Londonderry City, locals, nationalists and even some unionists call it Derry.
Columba is the patron saint because he founded a monastery there in the 6th century, on a hill on the west bank of the River Foyle, on land granted him by one of the local kings.
Derry is Ireland’s only remaining completely walled city. The walls were built by the aforementioned citizens of London in order to defend the city and were completed in 1619. The walls have never been breached, leading to the nickname "The Maiden City." The walls are 8 metres high and 1.5 kilometres long and are used for the Derry Marathon, one of the few in the world to be run entirely on historic city walls.
The population of the city was 85,279 in the 2021 census.
In the 1850s, an industry grew up here, namely the manufacture of linen shirts. Millions of linen shirts were made here at the end of the 19th century. Clothing manufacture is still a significant industry today.
Singers Nadine Coyle, Dana and Feargal Sharkey, and poet and Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney were all born in or around Derry. A famous visitor in 1932 was Amelia Earhart, first woman to fly across the Atlantic. She'd set off from Newfoundland for Paris and hadn’t planned to visit Ireland, but bad weather and technical issues with her aircraft meant she needed to land in Derry.
Derry is known for its Halloween celebrations. Its Halloween festival has been dubbed the best Halloween festival in the world by USA Today. Since 2002 Derry has also hosted the biggest Jazz festival in Northern Ireland. Other annual events include The City of Derry International Choir Festival and Foyle Maritime Festival. In 2013. Derry became the first city to be designated UK City of Culture.
The inciting incident for the 30 year conflict known as “The Troubles” took place in the Bogside area of Derry. The Battle of the Bogside was a large three-day riot which took place from 12 to 14 August 1969 when thousands of Catholic/Irish nationalist residents of the Bogside clashed with the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and loyalists. Today, the Bogside area features murals depicting political history and community stories.
A German U-boat, U-778, has been submerged in the River Foyle near Derry’s quay since it was scuttled there in 1945.
Derry’s Guildhall contains 24 stained-glass windows depicting the city’s history, including scenes of the 1689 Siege of Derry.
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