Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry, (Irish: Doire Cholm Cille or Doire Calgaigh) is the second largest city in Northern Ireland (after Belfast) and the fourth largest city on the island of Ireland (after Dublin, Belfast and Cork. The population as of 2021 was 85,279. The city was founded in 546 AD. It has old city walls which are still complete. The city is in County Londonderry, near the border with the Republic of Ireland's County Donegal.
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Doire | |
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City | |
| Londonderry | |
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| Coordinates: 54°59′51″N 07°19′12″W / 54.99750°N 7.32000°W | |
| First settled | 546 AD |
| Chartered | 1613 |
| Founded by | St. Columba |
| Named for | Derived from the Irish for "oak grove" |
| Government | |
| • Member of Parliament | Colum Eastwood (SDLP) |
| Population | |
| • Urban | 85,279 |
History
The city was originally called Doire (pronounced duhruh) which is an Irish word for a group of oak trees. In English, this word became "Derry". After the Ulster Plantations, the London Companies gave money for the building of the port and walls in Derry.
In 1984 the city council changed the name of the local government area back to its original title of Derry but the city's official name is still Londonderry.[1]
The city has long been subject to controversy over its name. Amongst the majority Catholic and Republican population of Northern Ireland, the city is referred to as Derry, truer to the original Irish word Doire and aligned with the view of the Republic of Ireland, where traffic signs and popular opinion labels the city similarly. Amongst the majority Protestant and Loyalist population, the city is called Londonderry.
This disagreement over naming causes the title "Derry/Londonderry" to be used in cross-community instances, giving rise to the somewhat sarcastic nickname, "Stroke City".
Derry Media
Road sign in Northern Ireland with the reference to London obscured
Road signs in the Republic of Ireland use Derry and the Irish Doire.
Unionist graffiti c. 1920 showing the short version of the name.
A portion of the city walls of Derry
Bishops Street Gate Derry
St Columb's Cathedral
Map of County Londonderry, 1837
The war memorial in The Diamond, erected 1927
Bogside area viewed from the walls
"Free Derry Corner" at the corner of Lecky Road and Fahan Street in the Bogside. The slogan was first painted in January 1969 by John Casey.
