Day 4 - Derry & Carrowkeel, Ireland

This morning we walked from our Airbnb into Derry town. Maps shown the town as Derry but it is also known as Londonderry. This is a dispute almost as old as the dispute between Ireland and England.

Derry, as known by most of its inhabitants, was christened Londonderry in 1613 when a Royal Charter proclaimed, “that the said city or town of Derry, forever hereafter be and shall be named and called the city of Londonderry. This name change was thrust upon the city by King James VI of Scotland.

As we walked into Derry ( approx. 25 minutes), we passed some of the murals representing The Troubles in Derry, along with 2 of the 4 city gates built in the 18th century, which could be closed to keep invaders out of the city.

It was interesting to note the lack of graffiti on any of the murals, despite graffiti being noticed elsewhere.

We walked through Butcher Gate then Ferryquay Gate, making our way to Artillery Street from where we would join a walking tour of Derry.
Derry has the most complete circuit of historic walls of any town or city in Ireland- they stand up 16 feet (8 metres) high and measure almost 1 mile (1.6km) in circumference. The walls were constructed between 1613 and 1618 to protect the English and Scot settlers of the new town that was established as part of the Plantation of Ulster by King James I, in order to bring the rebellious Gaelic region firmly under the control of the English crown in 1611.

The new city of Londonderry was laid out as the defensive walls were being constructed. Still seen today, the street pattern was regular, with 4 main streets crossing at a central square, later called ‘The Diamond’, leading straight to the 4 gates in the walls. In 1689 the Catholic King James II and his supporters, known as Jacobites, laid siege to the city for 105 days, as part of his campaign to reclaim the English throne. Thirteen apprentices famously shut the city gates against the advancing Jacobite troops and despite fierce fighting over the weeks, the city successfully withstood the attack.

Some of the features and landmarks we saw or were taken to on the tour included:
- The 4 original defensive gates - Shipquay Gate, Bishop’s Gate, Butcher Gate and Ferryquay Gate.

- there are 3 other gates, Castle Gate, New Gate and Magazine Gate built between 1790 and 1888.

- Artillery Bastion where 2 famous cannons are situated, one with a City of London shield on it

- St. Columba’s Cathedral, built between 1628 and 1633. During the 1869 siege the lead from the spire was used for artillery.

- St. Augustine’s Church

- Church Bastion, Water Bastion, Artillery Bastion, Double Bastion, Royal Bastion, Gunner’s Bastion, Hangman’s Bastion and Coward’s Bastion

We were invited to enter the First Derry Presbyterian Church, a listed historic building, that lies within the city’s walls. It is believed to be on the site of an earlier Presbyterian Church founded in 1690, as a reward for the bravery of the Presbyterians during the Siege of Derry in 1689.

The church has recently been re-opened following a programme of works that has totally renovated the building due to dry rot. In the spirit of unity, a church service conducted by both the Presbyterian and Catholic ministers occurred at this church. (This is what religion should be like at all times in my opinion).

The church reflects many unique 18th century Presbyterian features.

During the tour, John, our guide took us to The People’s Gallery in the Bogside, which has public art in the form of 12 murals that have profound significance in Derry. These murals have layers of stories, histories, and deep meanings. I have to admit that visiting these murals helps me to try to understand the political pressures that affected the people of Derry during the 30 years or so that The Troubles affected their lives. You can’t come and not be drawn to these powerful images, the one that I will always recall is the mural known as “Death of Innocence”, which commemorates Annette McGavigan, a 14 year old girl who was killed in 1971. She went to the local shops on an errand for her parents. On her way back home a British soldier killed her while she stood at the side of the road. She was not even involved in what was going on at the time - Death of Innocence is an apt title for the mural.

We left Derry to drive to Sligo, where we walked around this beautiful town and went on a tour of Sligo Abbey, which was built in 1252. It was a Dominican Priory which was accidentally burnt in 1414 and ruined by Hamilton’s army in 1641.

When you first enter the Abbey you see the remains of a townhouse dating back to the year 1700. The cobbled yard is intact, as are many of the walls and the open fireplace. The nave, where the congregation would have stood while mass was celebrated ( yes, they did not sit). The tall, slender Belfry Tower is still evident. Six of the 8 original 13th century lancet windows are still there.

Throughout the abbey a large number of headstones can be seen, as Sligo Abbey was the official Catholic burial ground for Sligo Town, dating back as far as the 14th century.

It was getting late in the afternoon and time to drive to our Airbnb located in Carrowkeel, which is famous for Neolithic burial tombs on nearby hills. We settled into our luxurious Airbnb in an isolated and peaceful area, then Dad and I drove the 1 km to the car park of the Neolithic tombs, followed by another 1 km walk to come across 4 huge stone Neolithic burial tombs, 3 of which still had their entrances evident. It is believed that up to 18 such burial tombs are known in the area.
We planned to walk up to another behind the host of the Airbnb’s house but with rain setting in, we opted that we had enough of the moisture.
Katie settled for a bath this evening while I joined Dad for his beer of the day that was The Cranbourne Poacher, brewed by Badger brewery in Dorset England. It is a rich and fruity ruby - normally don’t go near ruby or red beers but when on holidays.Read more