LONDONDERRY

=DERRY or LONDONDERRY ? - the Causeway Coastal Route= Originally called Derry the English changed it to Londonderry in the early 1600’s – the Irish haven’t got the hang of it yet though - obviously it depends on your foerbears.

Derry has had a troubled history since the late 16th century when the O’Neill clan put up fierce resistance to English conquest having some notable successes against the armies of Queen Elizabeth 1. They were finally defeated in 1607 and fled, along with many other Irish lords, to Europe. The decision by the English to grant these “vacant” estates to English and Scottish Protestants marginalised the Irish Catholics and thereby sowed the seeds for 400 years of conflict. All fascinating history and of course, its still not really over. Just last week the Real IRA detonated a bomb here in Derry – thankfully no-one was killed. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the Museum of Free Derry. This museum, in the Bogside area, tells the story of the civil rights movement up to the Bloody Sunday incident in 1972 which sparked the upsurge in violence and drove so many into the IRA. Derry is the only remaining completely walled city in Ireland and a stroll along their 1.5km length provides a great view over the old city inside and Bogside, on the outside. Our hotel is the only one inside the walls and our bedroom window overlooks the Butchers Gate.
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