Ireland.com

County Derry

The city is now the fourth largest in Ireland.

The rest of the county offers great walking opportunities with The Sperrin Mountains and the beautiful beach at Castlerock. Coleraine is home to the University of Ulster.

Points of Interest

City walls
The 18 foot thick walls, which are walkable, were built in 1612 by King James I as part of the Plantation of Ulster when English and Scottish migrants were installed as part of his bid to take control of the City One part of the colonisation was organised by wealthy livery companies from the City of London, hence the change of the city's name.

The City tunnels
The tunnels and vaulted cellars beneath the walls reputedly facilitated secret meetings to save the city during what is known as the "Forgotten Siege"of 1649 as the English Civil War between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians raged across Ulster. They are not accessible to the public

Tower Museum
Is an award-winning experience containing the Story of Derry exhibition. Get an insight into the city's turbulent history and the cataclysmic Siege of Derry which started in 1688 when 13 Apprentice boys locked the gates of the city to protect the city against the advancing catholic King James II who had come to Ireland to get support after he was ousted from the throne in favour of the Dutch William of Orange – King Billy. The City was then subjected to 105 days of bombs, disease and starvation. It is estimated that half the population had died by the time it ended.

Museum of Free Derry
Is an archive of recent history dating from the civil rights battles in the 1960s in the famous Bogside area of the city

The Hands Across the Divide bronze sculpture
The first thing you see when you come to the city across Craigavon Bridge unveiled in 1992 to symbolise the spirit of reconciliation.

Guildhall
Also worth a visit is the 19th century Guildhall, which houses some of the finest examples of stained glass windows in Ireland.

The Earhart Centre
Three miles north of Derry is the Earhart Centre, commemorating the spot where the first woman to fly the Atlantic solo, Amelia Earhart, brought her plane down. Also check out the wide Lough Foyle and the six-mile Magilligan Strand – Ireland's longest beach and site of one of Ireland's many Martello towers, built to protect against the threat of a Napoleonic invasion.

The Sperrin Mountains and the Faughan Valley
To the south are the rolling Sperrin Mountains and the Faughan Valley which includes Ness Wood and Ulster's highest waterfall where the Burntollet river plunges 30 feet. Popular for walking is the Loughermore Forest and the Learmount Forest and the nature reserve near Claudy.