NORTHERN IRELAND: DERRY/LONDONDERRY, PART II (THE BOGSIDE)

 July 9, 2024

We met our guide, whom Bob had booked through Derry Blue Badge Guide, at Guild Hall, a beautiful building originally used for tax collecting and as a town hall and now the seat of local government. The current building was erected in 1912 after the previous one burned down. During "The Troubles," which I'll explain in a minute, this building suffered damage in multiple terror attacks. When Bill Clinton visited Derry in 1995, he gave a speech in the large square in front of the Guildhall.

 

Our guide was excellent. When "The Troubles" began in the late 1960s, he left the country in order to escape being embroiled in the conflict. He returned when it all ended. Though he was not present, he was well-informed. He knew and was passionate about Derry's and Ireland's history, particularly from the time "The Troubles" began in the 1960s to 1998 when they ended.

So, what are "The Troubles"? On the surface, it was a civil war between the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, which is how most people see it--a religious war. In reality, the conflict really centered more around who would rule that section of the country--Great Britain or the Irish. It is just that the pro-British Rule side tended to be Protestant and the Irish Nationalists were overwhelmingly Catholic. But it went even deeper than that. We learned that a central issue was voting rights, which were given only to landowners, e.g., Protestants. The majority of Catholics had no rights.

We began by walking through the Catholic neighborhood that had been the scene of so much bloodshed and terror, and where our guide grew up as one of eleven children in a Catholic family. He told us that his dad was part of the civil rights protestors. This area is outside the city walls and is known as The Bogside. It got its name from the marshland that used to be here.

A three-day altercation in this neighborhood in August 1969, known as the Battle of the Bogside and fought between the Catholic/Irish Nationalists and the Royal Ulster Constabulary/Loyalists, led to more violence in other Northern Ireland locations and is generally seen as the beginning of The Troubles.

A picture from the same neighborhood shows a scene from the battle.

NORTHERN IRELAND: DERRY/LONDONDERRY, PART I (CITY WALLS, ST. COLUMB'S CATHEDRAL, AND MORE)

 July 9, 2024

We drove from Drumcliffe Church outside of Sligo to Londonderry/Derry, Northern Ireland, actually part of the United Kingdom and therefore a different country than the Republic of Ireland. Brits call the city Londonderry and Irish Republicans call it Derry. From here on out, I will refer to it as Derry for ease of typing.

There was no indication that we had left Ireland and entered Northern Ireland--no signs that said  "Leaving the Republic of Ireland" or "Welcome to the United Kingdom" or even "Change your euros to pounds here." We made it into Derry and parked the car near an interesting series of photos on the city walls near the Heritage Tower. 

"The Wall Museum Project" presents the words of local women who endured "The Troubles," a 30-year period of religious and nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland in the 1960s through 1990s. It's worth your time to click on the picture below and read the background of these photos as well as the thoughts of the women who lived through them.

Then take the time to read the childhood memories of the survivors. I can't imagine growing up in this environment.

IRELAND, DAY 6: SLIGO'S YEATS TRAIL

July 9, 2024

After I spent a few minutes with the statue of Yeats in Sligo, we got on the "Yeats Trail," which takes visitors to several sites around Sligo that are somehow connected to the famous author.

Our first stop was Sligo Abbey, now in ruins but once a flourishing Dominican convent founded in 1253 and operating until 1760.

The Abbey is the setting for two short stories by Yeats: "The Curse of the Fire and of the Shadows" and "The Crucifixion of the Outcast."

Unfortunately, we arrived at 9:10 AM and it didn't open for tourists until 10:00--too long to wait.

IRELAND, DAY 5: SLIGO

 July 8, 2024

Sligo, population 20,000, is located on the coast just west of Northern Ireland.

As we drove into town, I spotted this mural, which I have since identified as the 1916 Easter Rising Mural. We would learn more about the Easter Rising, an armed insurrection by Irish nationalists against British rule that took place during Easter week in April 1916, when we got to Northern Ireland. The large figures of seven men and one woman at the bottom of the mural were key figures in the revolt.

This mural, known as "Sligo, Set your Spirit Free," pays tribute to the big waves that have made this area a surfing hotspot.

Sligo has what looks like a classic small town American Main Street: