A Visit to Derry/Londonderry

In week two of our trip, our class went on its first train ride in Northern Ireland, and some of us rode a train for the first time! We were on our way to one of Northern Ireland’s more famous cities: Derry, or Londonderry, most recently featured on the TV show “Derry Girls.”

Derry was also the first urban area in Northern Ireland that we traveled to. Derry was the site of some of the most intense struggles during the Troubles, and our trip gave us a window into how history has shaped the city. We started at the Guildhall, in Derry’s central square.

In the midst of sometimes torrential rain, we got a tour around the walls of the city from our guide Ruairi and his young son, Ruairi Jr. The walls we walked on were constructed from 1613 to 1619, to protect the small number of English settlers in the city from the Irish citizenry who didn’t want them there. They are now the only remaining full city walls in Northern Ireland.

 

Ruairi covered a wide sweep of the city’s history, from the Plantation of Ulster in the 1600s, to Bloody Sunday in 1972, to today.

We really appreciated the topics we had been discussing in class being brought to light by a Derry resident with personal experiences and memories to share with us. Hearing about what are very recent events for many people while standing on walls over 400 years old was a truly special experience.

 

However, while Derry’s past is incredibly important for us to understand and learn from, it does not define Derry’s present. Aside from our time with Ruairi, we got to explore the city on our own and discover some very cool spots, especially the city’s murals.

 

My favorite part of Derry was the amount of art and activity happening throughout the city. If all you heard was the history, you might not expect it to be such a beautiful place. I was almost late for our tour because I was stuck at the Cool Discs music store, which did live up to its name. The staff were very nice and played a few songs from different bands for me when I asked to learn more about the local music!

I loved seeing the variety of murals and getting an idea of what people thought was most important to highlight in their art. Even though it was absolutely pouring rain, truly the day I was most grateful to have brought my rain jacket, I had a great time exploring the city and seeing all it had to offer.

–Isabel Woodcox