Learning Irish American History in Derry (#9)

Our time in Derry helped us to start to understand Ireland even better. Our strategy now is to get tours from locals where ever we go.

From our many tour guides we learned:

1) Irish say Derry, UK (Scots-Irish) say Londonderry

2) Wee means not big and is used all the time

3) Bloody Sunday is a real and active part of history of the locals as the youth are now in their late 60s

4) Bill Clinton's greatest lasting accomplishment (for the US) is probably his role in bringing the IRA and Tony Blair to the table to negotiate the 1998 Peace Agreement

5) The Catholics and Protestants still go to separate schools. Public schools are considered Protestant.

6) The Singer Sewing machine saved the lives of Irish after the Potato Famine

7) Women were primary breadwinners in Derry for over 100 years

8) There is a large wall surrounding the town of Derry built in early 1600s by 12 London guilds many who were the Ulster Scots who eventually emigrated to America.

Our first tour was the Herstory Tour.

We ended up getting a private tour that focused on women in Derry. For over a century women were the primary breadwinners because they had jobs in the linen factory. The tour also focused on the popular BBC 3 season show Derry Girls show now on Netflix focusing on the time before the Good Friday agreement..

The grassy hill was filled with Irish homes that were condemmed. Many were part of the Free Derry movement.

Bloody Sunday tour

This tour was by a 14 year old survivor of the 1972 Bloody Sunday. He watched many of his friends fall on their attempt at a Martin Luther King styled peaceful march. The subsequent years of IRA strife stemmed from the anger from this day.

The young people in this picture were taking pictures and making music videos as we were doing the tour. This was in stark contrast to the world the tour guide explained living up until the 1998 peace agreement called the Good Friday agreeemnt.

Throughout Northern Island and Scotland there are these magnificent murals on sides of old buildings. The Singer Sewing machine brought jobs and a future to Derry in 1850 after the potato famine.

These large bobbins celebrate the imortants of sewing and the linen trade after the famine. During the American civil war, many of the unforms and clothing from both sides was made in Derry.

Philadelphia, New Yort and Boston were the major ports for Emigrants.

This long stretch of wall was were the many emigrant ships during the famine and industry landed afterwards.

This scupture commemorates all that left for America and Canada during 1846-1850. Estimates are around 2 million Irish left Ireland.

Further out to sea is a narrow channel that was th narrow section of water that was barracaded during the Long Seige of Derry in 1689. During this time the walled city was barracaded and no supplies could get to the city for 103 days.

Stay: 3 Nights

Hotel: B&B In Derry

Our location was good, but we wished we had stayed in the Shipquay hotel. We had a wonderful dinner.

Area Pros: Incredible history, beautiful walking walls, great food, fabulous place to understand Northern Ireland

Cons: Longer walk to town from where we stayed

5 star