Derry has been continuously inhabited by people since the ancient times. In the Sixt h century, it was primarily a monastic settlement, based around the monastery of a local saint, St. Columba. In the early fifteenth century, planters arrived to be part of the plantation of Ulster. Their arrival was organized by London livery companies through The Honourable Irish Society. They were responsible for the construction of the walled city of Londonderry across the Foyle from its previous incarnation. This city has been witness to many important events in Irish history, such as the 1688 is 1689 siege of Derry and the Bloody Sunday of January 30, 1972.Londonderry was Ireland's first ever officially planned city. This began in 1613, with the completion of the walls occurring five years later in 1618. The central diamond bounded by a walled city with four gates was thought to be strategically good defensive design. According to the initial definition of the charter, Derry stretched up to three Irish miles (about 6.1 kilometres) from the centre.
The modern city of Derry embodies the seventeenth century layout featuring four main streets extending from the central diamond to four gateways � Bishop's Gate, Shipquay Gate, Ferryquay Gate and Butcher's Gate. The numerous historically significant buildings of the city include the St. Columba's Gothic cathedral, constructed in 1633.The porch of the church bears this single inscription:If stones could speak then London's prays should sound Who built this church and city from the ground.
Derry's weather can be variable,generally it has cold winters and summers can be hot as well. But like other places summer is a good time to visit Derry and enjoy the local culture and the night-life there.
xzxrOqQFe7EDerry sports a multitude of excellent visitor attractions, along with excellent tour services around the city and its ancient seventeenth century walls. An award-winning attraction of the city is the Tower Museum, which showcases a great deal of the history of the city, and also features a diverse range of exhibitions. On the other hand, Derry's Guildhall, St Eugene's Cathedral, St Columba's Cathedral and St Augustine's Chapel are all buildings of high historic significance and examples of magnificent forms of architecture. Other fascinating sights of the city of Derry include the beautiful Bogside Murals which can be found on the walls of a place known to the townspeople as the Free Derry Corner. These murals depict numerous important events in the history of the town from a Nationalist point of view. Hands Across the Divide, which is a more contemporary sculpture serving as a landmark in the city, is a glorious symbol of the union of the two communities. The walls of the city are extremely well-preserved (best in all of Ireland), and their total circumference around the centre of the city is nearly a mile. We hope you shall enjoy your visit to the wonderful city of Derry.
Derry can be broadly divided into two zones by the River Foyle the City Side/Derry Side and the Waterside. A pair of bridges connect the two banks of the river. The Craigavon Bridge, a double-decker bridge which was once capable of carrying trains on its lower level is the older one, and the Foyle Bridge is a more recently-constructed modern four-lane concrete bridge. It is further from the city centre. The East side of the river, the Waterside, is the traditional home to the unionist population of the town of Derry. The side of Derry which lies on the West side of the River Foyle is popularly known as The City Side. People living on this side are predominantly nationalist. It houses most of the tourist attractions, the The Guildhall and the city centre.
The city walls and the Bogside can be found here. The city centre is not too large, and is ideal for taking strolls through. Visitors can now ride on-board the Toucan One cruiser and travel the entire length of the River Foyle, from Derry City to Culmore Point during the daytime, and on to Greencastle (in County Donegal) in the evenings. The Toucan One cruiser sails seven days a week, and offers highly adequate refreshment facilities. The cruises start from behind the Derry City Council offices.
Derry has some wonderful places for eating out. Some of them are discussed below in detail. Danano's is an excellent Italian restaurant that offers good-quality food at low prices. According to many people, The Exchange is the best restaurant in the entire city of Derry. Its duck dishes are especially renowned. Badgers can be crowded during the rush hours, but it is an ideal haven for having lunch while shopping. On Tuesday nights, O'Brien's is excellent for steak dinners. They sell the biggest steaks there possibly can be, at somewhat extravagant prices. Their T-bone steaks are highly popular. The Mandarin Palace on Strand Road is a long-standing Chinese food restaurant which provides scrumptious food for very much reasonable prices. It opens at 5:00 PM every day. Quaywest, also located on Strand Road by the Waterfront, is a relatively new but highly successful restaurant which opened up a few years ago.
The food served by this restaurant mostly consists of light yet delicious cuisine, along with many different types of alcoholic drinks. The price of the food is quite affordable. And if you are looking for a place from where you can get a drink, there is always Peadar O'Donnell's, located at 63 Waterloo Street. Traditional Irish folk music sessions are also held here almost daily, which gives this pub quite an unique atmosphere.
People who lead an active night-life will find Derry to be a great place for enjoying themselves. Interested tourists can take a night-time cruise on the River Foyle. Vibrant dance parties are held on-board the cruiser, and these parties are coordinated by their very own hired DJs. Delicious snacks are sold at the bar on the lower deck of the cruiser, including beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages. The outdoor upper deck is never off-limits, and it offers a glorious view of the city on both sides of the river.
The cruise is four hours long it takes two hours to go out into the river and two to return. The Earth Nightclub is located on a main street in the town of Derry, near the Magee College, University of Ulster. It houses a bar called The Roc. It is the number one nightclub in the city, and it is an ideal place for dancing the night away. The Roc features a small dance floor, and the larger dance floor of the Earth Nightclub can be found upstairs. The music is loud and energetic, and it can be guaranteed that it will not put anyone to sleep.
Derry is home to some wonderful shops, and is capable of satiating the shopping desires of even the most voracious shoppers. Calling the city a shopper's paradise will be hardly far-fetched, since the items carried by the shops cater to all sorts of tastes and financial capabilities. The Foyle-side Shopping Centre is perhaps the most respectable and venerable shopping haven in Derry. It has been awarded the title of the Best And Biggest Shopping Centre In Northern Ireland. The Richmond Shopping Centre is quite famous as well, to say nothing of the unique Craft Village. Fashion connoisseurs would love to spend hours in the designer boutiques spread all throughout the city centre. These boutiques offer everything the more perceptive shopper requires, including special catwalk couture and other coveted items produced by local designers. If you happen to be shopping for souvenirs, traditional Irish gifts, stone crafts, local handmade jewellery and crystal sculptures can all be purchased at these shops for reasonable prices. The most popular high-profile brand names can be seen in the numerous shopping centres, which are conveniently located very close to each other. The shopping experiences at Derry can be very much rewarding to any shopper.