Derry in Northern Ireland

Our two nights in Northern Ireland were spent in Londonderry, more commonly known as Derry. This photo of St. Eugene's Cathedral was taken from the mideival city walls overlooking the Bogside neighborhood. The Bogside was the low land outside the city walls relegated to the Catholic poor who were not allowed to own property within the city. They also had only one vote per household and could not join unions, two major reasons they rose up against the British during the Troubles.


Famous murals line one of the streets and were created by the Bogside artists. They depict many scenes from the Troubles. On Bloody Sunday, 14 civilians were killed by British troops. I had a personal tour of the murals by an older gentlemen who lived through this era. He once was enlisted in the British Royal Airforce, but quit after his brother-in-law was killed in Bogside. Their demand for "one man, one vote" was finally realized and the neighborhood has been at peace since 2007.


This sculpture called "Hands Across the Divide" depicts the peace that now reigns among the people of Derry. An older shopkeeper described the sigh of relief once the peace accord was signed.