The name Derry derives from the old Irish word Daire meaning an oak grove, particularly an oak grove on an island totally or partly surrounded by water or peat bog. Such was the case at Derry.

The original oak grove which gave its name to the city and the various settlements which followed it were all located in turn on a small hill which was formally an island on the River Foyle.

The channel which swept past the western side of that island gradually dried out leaving a marshy, boggy area. In time this area became known as the Bogside. It is now one of the best known areas of the city.

You can walk along the great 17th-century walls, about a mile round the 18 feet thick, which withstood several sieges and even today are unbroken and complete, with old cannons still pointing their black noses over the ramparts. The great siege lasted for 105 days.

The Guildhall, looking much like its counterpart in London, is just outside the walls. Its stained glass windows illustrate almost every episode of note in the city’s history. The story flows up the staircase and floods all the chambers with brilliant light.

The main thoroughfare, Shipquay Street, is very steep, with narrow little streets running off it and a craft village tucked in behind the O’Doherty tower. From the quay behind the Guildhall hundreds of thousands of Irish emigrants sailed to a new life in the New World.