55°00N 7°19W, pop (2000e) 77 600. City in Derry district, County Derry, NW Northern Ireland, UK; on a hill above the R Foyle, 8 km/5 mi above its mouth into Lough Foyle; monastery founded by St Columba, c.546; James I proclaimed the city to be part of the Corporation of London, 1613; renamed London-Derry, and settled by a Protestant colony; resisted a siege by James II for 105 days, 1689; railway; textiles, chemicals, engineering, ceramics; old town walls and gates, St Columba's Cathedral (Protestant, 162833), St Columba's Church (Catholic, 1873), Guildhall (1912).
Derry or Londonderry (in Irish, Doire or Doire Cholm Chille), 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, but the city now covers both banks and is connected by two bridges. The district is run by Derry City Council and has an airport, City of Derry Airport, and a seaport, Londonderry Port.
Name
The city is currently officially named Londonderry according to the city's Royal Charter and usually appears as such on maps. Calgach was an ancient warrior and Caledonian leader who claimed this area of North West Ulster to be his.The name was changed from Derry in 1613 during the Plantation of Ulster to reflect the establishment of the city by the London guilds.
Derry is used by nationalists in Northern Ireland, with most unionists preferring the city's official name, Londonderry. As for the city's inhabitants, the nationalist majority call it Derry - as do some unionists. In the Republic of Ireland, the city and county are almost always referred to as Derry. In official use the city is always known as Londonderry, although some local organisations name themselves after Derry - for example, City of Derry Airport. The name of the local government district covering the city was changed to Derry, on May 7, 1984, by the council, which was consequently renamed Derry City Council. This did not change the name of the city itself (although the city is coterminous with the district), and in law the city council are also the "Corporation of Londonderry" or, more formally, the "Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of the City of Londonderry". In April 2006 the city council lodged papers in Belfast's High Court to obtain a Judge's ruling on the official name of the city.
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.
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 walled city of Londonderry across the Foyle from the earlier town. 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.
Londonderry was the first ever planned city in Ireland: it was begun in 1613, with the walls being completed 5 years later in 1618.
| If stones could speake then London's prayse should sound Who built this church and cittie from the grounde. |
Climate
Climate Table| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average daily maximum temperature (°C) | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 13.75 | |
| Average daily maximum temperature (°F) | 50 | 50 | 52 | 54 | 57 | 63 | 64 | 66 | 63 | 59 | 52 | 52 | 56.75 | |
| Average daily minimum temperature (°C) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 4.8 | |
| Average daily minimum temperature (°F) | 32 | 32 | 36 | 37 | 41 | 46 | 50 | 50 | 48 | 43 | 39 | 34 | 8.6 | |
| Mean total rainfall (mm) | 110 | 80 | 90 | 60 | 60 | 70 | 70 | 90 | 100 | 120 | 120 | 100 | 1070 | |
| Mean total rainfall (in) | 4.3 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 42.1 | |
| Source: Yahoo! Weather | ||||||||||||||
Economy
The economy of Derry was based significantly on the textile industry until relatively recently.
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The shirt factory of Messrs. |
A long term foreign employer in the area is Du Pont, who have been based at Maydown since 1958, this was its first ever European production facility.
Successes have included call centres and a large investment by Seagate who have operated a factory in the Springtown Industrial Estate since 1993, they currently sponsor the city film festival, but more significantly they employ over 1,000 people in the Springtown premises which produces more than half of Seagate's total requirement for hard drive read-write heads. Following four years of protest by the Foyle Ethical Investment Campaign, in 2004 Derry City Council passed a motion declaring the district a "A 'No–Go' Area for the Arms Trade".
The most significant employers in the region are:
International:
DuPont (US) INVISTA (US) Stream International (US) Seagate Technology (US) Perfecseal, Bemis (US) NTL (US) Arntz Belting (Germany) Raytheon (US) Northbrook Technologies (US) Invision Software (Germany) Homeloan Management Ltd - HML (UK)Local:
Desmonds – Northern Ireland’s largest privately owned company.In spite it being the second city of Northern Ireland, road and rail links to other cities are below par for its standing.
| It is vital that road, rail and air links are all maximised with particular emphasis on the two principal road axes - connections to Belfast and Dublin. |
Much has been made of the City of Derry Airport. Another major government decision affecting Derry was the decision to create the new city of Craigavon outside Belfast, which again was detrimental to the development of Derry.
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The fact is there has been consistent under-investment in the North West and a reluctance on the part of the Civil Service to see or support anything west of the Bann, except when it comes to rate increases, then they treat us equally. |
Many observers note that politics will need to play a part in the future development of the economy of the city.
Given the affordability of housing in the city, the student population has boomed in recent years bringing a revival in the fortunes of Magee, the oldest campus within the University of Ulster established in 1865 as Magee College. Less than 1,000 are now living on the west bank of the River Foyle and it is feared that Derry could become a permanently divided city .
Transport
Derry’s transport network is built out of a complex array of old and modern roads throughout the city and county, which are serviced by buses and trains. The city's road network also makes use of two bridges to cross the River Foyle, the Craigavon Bridge, which is the only double decker road bridge left in Europe and the Foyle Bridge, the longest bridge in Ireland. The Ulsterbus Foyle network now offers 13 set routes across the city into the popular suburban areas of the city. It is hoped that the new service will make transportation in Northern Ireland’s second city a lot easier and will encourage people to make use of Derry's public transport system.
There is also an Easibus link connecting to the Waterside and Drumahoe, and a free Rail Link Bus now runs from the Waterside Railway Station to the city centre. All the buses leave from the Foyle Street Bus Station in Derry City Centre. There is also a daily service to Sligo, Galway, Shannon Airport and Limerick
Railways
Northern Ireland Railways provides a single route from Derry out to Belfast via Bellarena, Castlerock, Coleraine, Ballymoney, Cullybackey, Ballymena, Antrim, Mossley West and Whiteabbey. Long overdue, the largest road investment in the North West’s history is now taking place in Derry with the construction of new dual-carriageways and roads linking the city to Dungiven and helping to speed up the time it takes to get to Belfast.
Taxis
Multiple major taxi services operate in Derry, the largest being Foyle Delta, a new company formed from the merging of two companies, Foyle Taxis and Delta Cabs and also including firms such as Derry Taxis, Culmore Taxis and Jay Cabs. There are now more taxis in the Derry City area, than any other town or city in the north. There are now also more illegal taxis in the Derry City area, than any other town or city in Northern Ireland.
Air
City of Derry Airport, Derry’s own growing commercial airport has also been growing in recent years with new investment in a new runway and £10 million pounds towards redeveloping the site. At the moment the airport already links to multiple European cities as well as those closer to home including Dublin Airport, London Stansted, Manchester International Airport, Birmingham International Airport, Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Nottingham East Midlands Airport.
Sport
Derry is the home of many sporting establishments, teams and organisations, the foremost of these being Derry City F.C. The local soccer league is the Derry and District League and teams from the city and surrounding areas participate, including Don Bosco's F.C.
2001 Census
Derry Urban Area (DUA), including the City as well as the neighbouring settlements of Culmore, New Buildings and Strathfoyle, is classified as a city by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population exceeding 75,000). Future projects include the Walled City Signature Project, which intends to ensure that the city's walls become a world class tourist experience. Amelia Earhart Centre And Wildlife Sanctuary Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall The Bogside Murals by the Bogside Artists Grianan of Aileach (Royal seat of the Ui Neill family for 700 years ) Guildhall Harbour Museum Museum of Free Derry Online St Columb's Cathedral and Chapter House Museum Tower Museum Workhouse Museum Foyle Bridge - Second longest bridge in Ireland. Foyle Valley Railway Centre The Nerve Centre Brunswick Superbowl, Pennyburn St. Columb's Park and Leisure Centre
Events
The now world famous "Banks of the Foyle Hallowe’en Carnival" in Derry also prove a huge tourism boost for the city, the carnival is promoted as being the first and longest running Halloween carnival in the whole of Ireland, it is the largest street party in Ireland with more than 40,000 ghoulish revellers taking to the streets annually. In April the city plays host to City of Derry Jazz and Big Band Festival and in November the Foyle Film Festival, the biggest film festival in Northern Ireland.
Every summer the city hosts Tomo-Dachi, Ireland's largest Anime convention, which in July 2006 was held at Magee College, University of Ulster.
The siege of Derry is commemorated annually by the fraternal organisation the Apprentice Boys of Derry in the week long Maiden City Festival. background-color: #f9f9f9;clear:center;">
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I was born in Londonderry I was born in Derry City too Oh what a special child To see such things and still to smile I know that there was something wrong But I kept my head down and carried on. —The Divine Comedy "Sunrise" Full lyrics |
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We'll fight and don't surrender But come when duty calls With heart and hand and sword and shield We'll guard old Derry's Walls —traditional song associated with the Apprentice Boys of Derry Full lyrics |
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In 1803 we sailed out to sea, Out from the sweet town of Derry, For Australia bound if we didn't all drown, And the marks of our fetters we carried... —Bobby Sands "Back Home In Derry" Full lyrics |
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It is old but it is beautiful, and its colours they are fine. It was worn at Derry, Aughrim, Enniskillen and the Boyne. My father wore it as a youth in bygone days of yore. And on the Twelfth I love to wear the sash my father wore —Anon "The Sash" |
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...In the early morning the shirt factory horn called women from Creggan, the Moor and the Bog. While the men on the dole played a mother's role, fed the children and then trained the dogs. And when times got tough there was just about enough. But they saw it through without complaining. For deep inside was a burning pride in the town I loved so well. There was music there in the Derry air, like a language that we all could understand... —Phil Coulter "The Town I Loved So Well" Full lyrics |
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