Abhainn na Feirste
Cé go bhfuil sí clúdaithe faoi choincréit anois agus gan a
bheith le feiceáil, is ag an láthair seo ar Shráid
Northumberland a chéadtrasnaíonn Abhainn na Feirste
Bóthar na bhFál. Ainmníodh an abhainn as an . . . — — Map (db m134462) HM
From the mid 1800s, the Connswater was the driving force behind east Belfast's industrial growth. Barges laden with raw materials and goods travelled its length and its waters powered many cotton and flax mills, such as the Portview . . . — — Map (db m135564) HM
Symbols and Meanings
Backpack with Hearts
Contains forgotten words and meanings of the Ulster Scots tongue.
Heart 1
Represents the heart of the land and the soul of the place.
Heart 2
Represents the heart . . . — — Map (db m70763) HM
The Salmon
The natural life cycle of a salmon is one of nature's wonders. A salmon begins its life in the shallow water and gravel beds of the river as eggs then fry. These small fry stay in the river until they mature into par. The next . . . — — Map (db m70892) HM
Side A
Welcome to Dunluce Castle
Dunluce Castle, dramatically positioned on this sheer headland between the Giant's Causeway and Portrush, was built between the 15th and 17th centuries. At this time it was one of the finest . . . — — Map (db m70900) HM
Side A
Welcome to Hamill Terrace
Renowned as the gateway to the Giant's Causeway and for the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world, Bushmills has a unique heritage of historic buildings and mills.
Images (clockwise . . . — — Map (db m70873) HM
Dunseverick Castle and its rocky peninsula were given to the National Trust in 1962 by farmer Jack McCurdy.
The term Dun (fort) indicates a royal site. This was the fort of Sobhairce. It may have been a royal stronghold in the Iron Age . . . — — Map (db m70859) HM
The town of Garvagh owes its 17th century origins and subsequent development to the Canning family. George Canning was the first family member to come to Ireland when, in September 1614, he arrived at Agivey on the banks of the Bann as an agent . . . — — Map (db m70740) HM
Side A
Welcome to the historic town of Garvagh, situated on the banks of the Agivey River.
We hope you enjoy your visit. Please use the information and maps on this sign to find out about the history of Garvagh and to discover its . . . — — Map (db m70748) HM
A night at Talbot's theatre
Actor/manager Michael Atkins opened the city's first purpose-built theatre at the top of Artillery Street in 1774. It soon became the fashionable place to be seen especially at grand social occasions when the . . . — — Map (db m71080) HM
It was here that James II demanded entry to the city during the 1689 siege. The present gate was built at the suggestion of Bishop Hervey in 1789 to celebrate the centenary of the siege. The head facing Bishop Street represents the river Boyne . . . — — Map (db m71021) HM
Two million gallons of whisky
Smoke from illicit poteen whisky stills used to waft over the walls from the Bogside. Legal distilleries opened in the Waterside and in the Bogside in the 1820s. Watt's Abbey Street distillery became the . . . — — Map (db m70971) HM
This was one of the four original gates of 1617. It was initially called the 'Nugate' or King's Gate, later being renamed Butcher Gate after the nearby meat market and slaughterhouse. The gate was nearly destroyed by cannon fire during the 1689 . . . — — Map (db m70972) HM
Demolish the walls
The Maiden City withstood two sieges without its walls being breached. In the 18th century the city grew too big for its walls and increasingly houses and factories were built on the slopes below. Castle Gate (1803) was . . . — — Map (db m70960) HM
Constructed in 1803 this was the second of the three new gates into the city. Although originally named New Gate, by the mid 19th century it was known as Castle Gate after the medieval tower house built by the O'Doherty family. — — Map (db m70970) HM
The city has always expressed its soul in verse.
Derry mine! My small oak grove
Little cell, my home, my love!
Attributed to St. Colmcille
The saint's story is told as St Columb in the Cathedral and as St Colmcille in Long Tower . . . — — Map (db m71005) HM
Roaring Meg
Roaring Meg is the most famous of the city's cannon. She weighs a mighty 1794 kilograms. The Fishmongers' Company of London presented her to the city in 1642. She saw action in the 1689 siege, probably from this bastion. It . . . — — Map (db m71007) HM
Locking the gates
In 1688 James II proposed to replace the Protestant garrison in the city with Catholic troops. Rumours were rife that the citizens were to be massacred. Meeting in the Diamond, the city leaders could not make up their . . . — — Map (db m71097) HM
This gate was built in 1865 on the site of one of the four original entrances to the city. Like Bishop's Gate it had a drawbridge, which could be pulled up in times of troubles, to allow people to cross the dry moat. This was the gate that the . . . — — Map (db m71104) HM
Fourteen sycamores
There are 14 sycamore trees on the Grand Parade, one for each of the 13 Apprentice Boys and one for James Morrison, their look-out on Ferryquay Gate. The fruit of the sycamore are like bunches of keys. They represent the . . . — — Map (db m70984) HM
The roaring cannon
The city claims Europe's largest collection of cannon whose precise origins can be traced. These are the earliest surviving cannon. Some were shipped over for Sir Henry Docwra's campaign of 1600-3: others were sent to . . . — — Map (db m71131) HM
Bulwarks and bastions
When first built, the bastions were known as bulwarks, each called after a person associated with the city from King James I to the Governor of the Plantation. They were renamed during the 1689 siege. This is . . . — — Map (db m70957) HM
Fire power
Magazine Gate takes its name from the Plantation city's gunpowder store. The mixture of saltpetre, sulphur and fine charcoal had to be kept very dry as it easily absorbed water. A barrel of gunpowder and a pile of shot was . . . — — Map (db m70956) HM
Near this spot was landed the body of
Michael Browning
Master of the ship
Mountjoy
of Londonderry - killed in action at the breaking of the boom, July 28th 1689.o.s. while leading the van of the relieving squadron against the . . . — — Map (db m70925) HM
In 1787 the walls were breached for the first time to improve access to the city centre. It is said that the gate was built to cope with crowds flocking to the New Theatre in Artillery Street but was closed in 1799 due to complaints from the . . . — — Map (db m71085) HM
The first shot
On 13th April, 1689 the first shot of the siege was fired. Citizens on the walls spotted the vanguard of the Jacobite army approaching under Lieutenant General Richard Hamilton. To make his presence known, Hamilton fired a . . . — — Map (db m71098) HM
The siege governors
The Royal Bastion is associated with the city's four governors during the 1689 siege. Professional soldier Robert Lundy was unconvinced that the city could be defended against Jacobite attack. His indecisiveness and . . . — — Map (db m70987) HM
This was one of the four original 17th century gates to the city. It had a watch tower, battlements and a portcullis. The carvings on the outside of the present gate, built between 1803-5, celebrate the city's wealth. The cornucopia is a symbol of . . . — — Map (db m70927) HM
'A city fit for war and merchandise'
In 1600 Elizabeth I of England instructed Sir Henry Docwra to establish and fortify a new settlement on the Foyle. An explosion in the cathedral in 1567 had largely destroyed the town. Docwra and his . . . — — Map (db m71123) HM
Living above the 'shop'
Many banks and offices started life as 18th and 19th century family houses. The building at the corner of Shipquay Street and Bank Place was both home and place of business for the manager of the Belfast Bank. On . . . — — Map (db m71140) HM
On this site of St Augustine's Church, St Columba built his Abbey circa 543AD, and departed from Derry down the River Foyle with his supporters to the Island of Iona in 563AD. — — Map (db m70989) HM
The Mother Church
The first settlers worshipped in the ruins of the former Augustinian abbey. In 1613 the London merchant companies sent over a silver-gilt chalice as a promise of their commitment to build a cathedral to grace their new . . . — — Map (db m71072) HM
The Apprentice Boys
From the early 18th century clubs have celebrated the role of the 13 apprentices who locked the gates of the city in December, 1688 rather than admit the new Jacobite garrison. Local architect, John Guy Ferguson, . . . — — Map (db m70974) HM
If 'stones could speak', what a story they would have to tell. Their voices still echo on the walls and in the city streets.
According to tradition St. Colm Cille chose the oak grove on top of the hill for his monastery in 546 AD. His . . . — — Map (db m70928) HM
[Keyed photo of Double Bastion overlook]
1. Lumen Christi College - co-educational school on the site of Bishop Hervey's casino.
2. The Windmill - the stump of the building fought over during the 1689 siege.
3. St Columba's, Long Tower . . . — — Map (db m71004) HM
If 'stones could speak', what a story they would have to tell. Their voices still echo on the walls and in the city streets.
According to tradition St. Colm Cille chose the oak grove on top of the hill for his monastery in 546 AD. His . . . — — Map (db m71026) HM
If 'stones could speak', what a story they would have to tell. Their voices still echo on the walls and in the city streets.
According to tradition St. Colm Cille chose the oak grove on top of the hill for his monastery in 546 AD. His . . . — — Map (db m71121) HM
This monument was erected to perpetuate the memory of the Rev. George Walker, who, aided by the garrison and brave inhabitants of this City, most gallantly defended it through a protracted siege, viz., from the 7th Dec. 1688 O.S. to the 12th . . . — — Map (db m70988) HM
Feabhail
The river Foyle lapped against the Water Bastion until the late 18th century. The name Foyle probably arose because English-speaking settlers had difficulty saying the Irish 'Feabhail', used traditionally to describe the stretch . . . — — Map (db m71122) HM
A city fit for war and merchandise…for ever a free, entire and perfect city and county of itself, to be called the city and county of Derrie.
Charter from James I, 1604
One City…Fifty Names
All of the . . . — — Map (db m70942) HM
Beal Leice, meaning 'the mouth of the flagstone', lies in the most westerly point of Northern Ireland, hidden in the Erne valley between the Sligo mountains and the Atlantic. The village, which was first laid out during the Plantation of Ulster . . . — — Map (db m72553) HM
The Watergate
The Watergate is the name given to the twin turreted building added to the outer wall of the castle c. 1615. Scottish in style, it was almost certainly built by William Cole, constable of the castle and founder of Enniskillen . . . — — Map (db m72648) HM
In this house the story of St. Patrick meeting the legends and spiritual traditions of the Celtic People in Ireland is presented. St. Patrick became familiar with them during his time of captivity.
The Celtic Religion of Ireland
Before St. . . . — — Map (db m72630) HM
In 1836 the Poor Law Enquiry found that over one third of people in Ireland were dependent on the potato as their main source of food. The population had grown to 8.2 million by 1841, and was vulnerable to any failure of the potato crop. The . . . — — Map (db m72600) HM
The town takes its name from the Irvine family who were the landlords of the district and came from Bonshaw in Scotland in the 17th century. They lived at Castle Irvine which today is known as Necarne Castle. The town was first known as . . . — — Map (db m72609) HM
This cross was set up in the Corn and Potato Market when it was built by Mr John Crichton, later third Earl of Erne, in 1841. At that time the small stone cross was made and placed on the ancient and much more massive shaft.
The original site . . . — — Map (db m72653) HM
