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July 2, 2018

One of things Sarah had hoped to do on this trip was to visit Derry again.  Since it was set to be under 20° today it seemed like  a good day for it.  We made sure to leave a little earlier than normal to make sure it wasn’t too late when we arrived.

We reached the Visit Derry Visitors Centre about 10:30 and parked in the Foyleside East Car Park next to the Visitors Centre.  We made the short walk to Visit Derry and  booked a Martin McCrosson City Walking Tour of the city walls at noon for £8 (Derry uses UK currency).  Again the children were free!  Since we had an hour, we headed to the Foyleside Shopping Centre to use the ATM (I only had £2 in change).

We found the ATM with no problem but it was out of order so we went outside of the Shopping Centre and quickly found a Halifax Bank ATM on Newmarket Street next to the Millennium Forum (which issued me Bank of England notes).  Armed with our crisp new cash we entered the Richmond Shopping Centre to look around.  We all were hungry (even though it was early) so we stopped at Caffe Nero and had a little food.  We ordered a slice of Belgian Chocolate Cake, a Belgian Brownie, a Roast Vegetable Melt, a Bacon Bloomer, two Americanos and a bottle of water for £17.60.  The food was very good, the coffee was delicious and we all enjoyed siting at the outdoor tables.  Liam even got to browse at Argos while the rest of us finished our foods and drinks.

After we finished eating we worked our way back to Visit Derry passing through Shipquay Gate, walking by the Peace Flame and Peace Bridge (which crosses the river next to the flame to join the Nationalist areas with Unionist areas).  We were told to meet our guide at the Visit Derry centre, but it turns out that we could have met our guide, John McNulty, outside Ferryquay Gate behind the Foyleside Shopping Centre (which would have been a much shorter walk).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At noon our tour commenced and it was good, but the children were very uninterested. If you are looking for a gentile, impartial walking tour this one would be good though.  It takes you around the city walls of the old city, stopping along the way to fill you in on the history of the city as you reach various points of interest.  Derry is the only completely walled city that remains in Ireland.  If you are interested in really learning a lot about the history that divided the city, I would recommend booking a tour with Free Derry Tours.  Though you should know going in, that Free Derry tours are conducted from the the point of view of the local Irish (the guides are residents of the city).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the tour reached the Diamond we decided to break off from the tour early and head to Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin for lunch.  We got there no problem and I was impressed that it was signposted.  On the way we passed a sign about the Gaeltacht Quarter.  When we came into the city from the south we also had noticed the bilingual street signs and these had reappeared here in the Bogside too.  I was very eager to see how the Gaeltacht Quarter was doing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We passed a building with “Teach Scoil”on the sign and then saw the sign for Cultúrlann which was signposted entirely in Irish.  An Caife is easily spotted through the front door.  The menu is bilingual and over the till is a wonderful poster giving all of the phrases you would need to order in Irish.  Unfortunately, the two women working did not appear to have any Irish.  Our lunch however was nice and not very expensive (about £15 for the four of us).  At one point one of the women brought us a serving of chips after she had taken them to the wrong table first and she said “Tá bron orm.”  After we finished eating Liam and I went to check out the Siopa that is listed on the sign.  There was a young woman behind the “Fáiltiú” desk but she also did not have any Irish nor did she know where the shop was.  As we were leaving another woman was behind the Fáiltiú desk and she did use a bit of Irish as we were leaving saying, “Maith thú, Fionnuala. Go raibh maith agat.  Slán.”

The children were both tired at this point but did allow us to take a brief pass through the Bogside Murals.  The Murals by the Bogside Artists began in 1993 and the last one was completed in 2008.  Since our 2008 visit, there are many new murals that are not part of these famous 12 murals (known as the People’s Gallery) that focus on peace and reconciliation.  A lot of the new ones were militant pieces of art this time (this is different from our last visit) and this part of the city had a more tense feeling than when we were here before.  The other difference compared to ten years ago was that there were tourists everywhere.  in 2008, we were the only people looking at the murals.  The other big change was that Free Derry Corner was painted as a Palestinian flag (it had a Catalan theme during the referendum period).

 

 

We had just about finished walking the length of the street  and were next to the Bogside Inn when Fionnuala said she needed a toilet.  Sarah and I carried her back to Visit Derry (Sarah did the up hill climb!) and we made it in time (phew!).

With potential tragedy averted we picked up some brochures about Inishowen, the Wild Atlantic Way guides and bought some drinks and candy for the trip home.  Then it was time to pay for parking.  The machine takes credit cards, but my US credit card didn’t work (I don’t know my PIN number — or if I even have one set up). So, I was now very happy I took out the cash from the ATM as I needed £4.50 to exit the parking garage.

We left Derry at 3 PM and it was an easy and uneventful trip back to An Bun Beag.  I however was very tired from the walking and driving.  Fionnuala (6) and Sarah went to Machaire Chlochair Beach until Dinner time while Liam (9) and I relaxed at the house.

Liam’s Highlight of the Day: Nero Coffee Bar
Fionnuala’s Highlight of the Day:  The Beach

Gaeilge Experience: There were some bilingual street signs in some neighborhoods.  I was hoping to be able to Irish in the Cultúrlann, but the cafe did not have Irish speaking staff.

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