History of Derry
The earliest references to the history of Derry date to the 6th century when a monastery was founded there; however, archaeological sites and objects predating this have been found. The name Derry comes from the Old Irish word Daire (modern: Doire) meaning 'oak grove' or 'oak wood'.[1]
Early history
In the 6th century, a Christian monastery was founded on the hill of Doire to the east of the
Although the
Plantation of Ulster
After the collapse of the Earldom of Ulster in the 14th century, Ulster saw a Gaelic resurgence at the expense of the Norman colony. Throughout the second half of the 16th century,
This attack came about shortly after the
The City of Londonderry was the jewel in the crown of the Ulster Plantation. It was laid out according to the best contemporary principles of
Civil wars and sieges
The new city was slow to prosper. By the 1680s it still had only about 2,000 inhabitants; and yet it was, by far, the largest town in Ulster. Along with most parts of Britain and Ireland, the city suffered from the
In 1688, Ireland became the battleground for the Glorious Revolution in England, when James II was deposed by William of Orange. Catholic Ireland strongly supported James, but many Protestants in Ulster secretly supported William. James II had his Catholic viceroy Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell take action to ensure that all strong points in Ireland were held by garrisons loyal to the Jacobite cause. By November 1688, only the walled city of Londonderry and nearby Enniskillen had a Protestant garrison. An army of around 1,200 men, mostly "Redshanks" (Highlanders), under Alexander MacDonnell, 3rd Earl of Antrim, was slowly organised (they set out on the week William of Orange landed in England). When they arrived on 7 December 1688 the gates were closed against them and the Siege of Derry began.
On 18 April 1689, while his attempts to regain his throne in what became the
18th and 19th centuries
The city was rebuilt in the 18th century with many of its fine
Partition
The early 1920s in Ireland were marked by political violence over the issue of Irish independence. During the Irish War of Independence, Derry was rocked by sectarian violence, partly prompted by the guerrilla war raging between the Irish Republican Army and British Forces, but also influenced by economic and social pressures. In July 1920, several thousand unionist ex-British Army servicemen mobilised a pogrom of murder against the Catholic population which they regarded as rebellious. Severe rioting ensued when the loyalists murdered several Catholics and launched an assault on the neighbourhoods around the Long Tower and St Columb's College, now Lumen Christi. This pogrom was resisted by armed IRA members. Many lives were lost and in addition many Catholics and Protestants were expelled from their homes during the communal unrest. After a week's violence, the British Army intervened when local IRA and Catholic ex-servicemen began to dominate and an uneasy truce was negotiated by local politicians on either side.[citation needed]
In 1921, following the
During the
The Troubles
Derry perceived itself as suffering under unionist government in
The city is often regarded as "the cockpit of
Because of these events, certain areas of Derry produced strong support for republican paramilitaries. Up to 1972, both the
The violence in Derry eased towards the end of the Troubles in the 1990s, even though street riots were still frequent, the violence gradually moved to Belfast at that time. Irish journalist Ed Maloney claims in The Secret History of the IRA that republican leaders there negotiated a de facto ceasefire in the city as early as 1991. Whether this is true or not, the city did see less bloodshed by this time than Belfast or other localities.
Derry has become known worldwide on account of the Troubles. Less well-known is its reputation voted by the Civic Trust in London as one of the ten best cities of its kind to live in, in the United Kingdom.[7]
See also
References
- ^ Placenames of the World: Origins and Meanings of the Names for 6,600 Adrian Room. (Google books) Retrieved 2008-03-28.
- ISBN 978-0-19-923483-7
- ISBN 978-0-7171-3093-1
- ^ Stroke City to remain Londonderry BBC News Online, 2001-01-25. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
- ^ Ireland Tom Downs(Google books) Retrieved 2008-03-28.
- ISBN 978-0-19-818247-4.
- ^ History of Derry www.londonderrychamber.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
- The Development of Derry, 600-1600, Brian Lacey, in Keimelia:Studies in Medieval Archaeology and History in Memory of Tom Delaney ed. G. Mac Niocaill, Galway, 1988, pp. 378–96.
- Siege City:The story of Derry and Londonderry, Brian Lacey, Belfast, 1990
- Columba, founder of the monastery of Derr? - Mihi manet Incertus, Brian Lacey, JRSAI 28, 1998, pp. 35–47
- Derry, the Cenel Conaill and Cenel nEogain, Brian Lacey, in The Modern Traveller to our Past:Festschrift in honour of Ann Hamlin, Belfast, 2006, p. 65-69.