Londonderry – Slugger O'Toole

The Queen and I. Londonderry (sic ) in the 1950s

Brian Walker on May 28, 2022, 7:51 pm | Readers 4556

I think of the 1950s as the last time you didn’t have to be stressed out about identity. Maybe that’s because I was aged from between 3 to 12 at the time but I don’t believe that altogether explains it. Londonderry was a unionist town with a Catholic majority, a statement not only about the gerrymander but the atmosphere of the old walled city where most premises were Protestant owned, like the middle class suburbs. Working people on both sides …

Foyle Constituency Profile – Assembly Elections 2022…

Michael Hehir on April 23, 2022, 9:14 am | Readers 3117

Looking across the River Foyle to the cityside from the waterside, with The Peace Bridge framed by The Guild Hall (left) and St. Eugene's Cathedral (right) (May, 2021).

I’ve just finished reading the entrails in Foyle, and my brain hurts. Quite frankly I wouldn’t blame you if you stopped reading right now and just left it to the Almighty in his ineffable wisdom to reveal the final results sometime on May 7th. To those of you who refuse to heed the warnings, I salute your courage. We start with the designation shares bearing the, by now familiar, marks of tactical voting in Westminster. And as usual, these marks …

For those who wish to see Derry city prosper, I recommend a trip to the South Holland city of Gorinchem…

Am Ghobsmacht on June 6, 2021, 12:46 pm | Readers 4427

There are two types of people in this world; those who wish to see Derry city prosper and those who wish to see it fail. I’m in the former camp and as such I’m unimpressed with those in the latter camp, whether their M.O. be by means of bombs or political sabotage (just covering all the incoming whataboutery bases). For those firmly in the prosper camp then might I recommend a trip to the South Holland city of Gorinchem? (Somehow …

#TheReset Podcast – Steve Bradley on the future of Derry…

Brian O'Neill on September 20, 2020, 9:13 am | Readers 2613

Steve Bradley is a regeneration consultant, you can follow him on Twitter. Steve is a very popular writer on Slugger with some of his posts getting over 40k readers, you can view an archive of his posts here. In this podcast, we discuss the future of Derry and the Northwest. In particular, we discuss: The future of Ulster University in Derry or lack thereof The potential for an independent University How Covid-19 will affect Derry, in particular, fewer people having …

The Forgotten Troubles 1920-1922: The Derry Riots 1920…

Patrick Concannon on August 7, 2020, 8:47 am | Readers 5639

On 12th August 1969 Derry City exploded into violence and running battles that would eventually become known as the Battle of The Bogside after the Annual Relief of the City Parade held by the Apprentice Boys. This rioting lasted for three days and is widely seen as the start of the Troubles or Northern Ireland conflict. What is less well known, however, is that almost fifty years previously, in June 1920 Derry saw a far bloodier spate of communal rioting …

Busting the Historical Myths – The Siege of Derry…

Patrick Concannon on March 31, 2020, 10:38 am | Readers 6282

As Coronavirus dominates the airwaves I thought it may be interesting to explore a few historical myths as a means to divert our attention from the pandemic sweeping the Word. In Northern Ireland there is a tendency for Unionists and Nationalists to view certain historical events in a partisan and inaccurate way often driven by erroneous historical interpretations which have become main-stream, but which are based primarily on propaganda. As every historian knows the complexity and nuances of human nature …

Video: Northern Ireland’s Generation Peace…

Brian O'Neill on February 7, 2020, 11:39 am | Readers 1061

The Face Magazine has produced a short film about the young people who have grown up in Derry since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. From the article: Generation Peace talks to those who have grown up in Derry since the 1998 Good Friday agreement, which brought The Troubles to an end after three decades of violent conflict. Brexit and the possibility of the reintroduction of a border in Ireland, however, jeopardise that uneasy peace. In Derry we met brilliant young …

You Are Now Entering Free Derry…

Brian O'Neill on January 13, 2020, 3:25 pm | Readers 1434

"It just shows you the change that's happened over the last few years, from it being a dream to a reality". Derry women Danielle & Emma got married in Donegal last year. Today their marriage is legally recognised in the city they call home. Interview coming up on @BBCRadioFoyle pic.twitter.com/sfR44DGxD2 — Gráinne Morrison (@grengrain) January 13, 2020 Brian O'NeillI help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in …

The landslide on the Foyle

Jay Burbank on December 19, 2019, 11:27 am | Readers 4691

Colum Eastwood’s victory in Foyle was a momentous occasion in the history of our politics here. In surpassing even Hume, the founder of the SDLP, Colum now has the weight of a City and history itself on his shoulders. If his victory is to mean anything then it shouldn’t be used solely as a launch pad to building a revitalised SDLP across NI. This is of course within the remit of every party leader, but in changing hands in 2017, …

The bogeyman of Lundy plays an extremely damaging role today within Unionism…

Choyaa on December 9, 2019, 7:24 am | Readers 9827

At this time of the year, most people are busy getting ready for Christmas and enjoying the festivities, however within Protestant and Unionist circles (of which I’m from) the historical character of Lundy is remembered by many. Unfortunately remembering the historical Lundy and flushing out perceived modern-day Lundies has become an unhealthy and destructive daily obsession within political Unionism and grassroots Protestantism and I wanted to briefly discuss the shadow of Lundy that hangs over my community even today. On …

Ulster University and where to find 100 more doctors?

Jay Burbank on November 28, 2019, 7:55 pm | Readers 3323

It has been an argument raging on for 50 years, it briefly united Unionist and Nationalist elected reps in a period of violent division but it has yet to be resolved; a University for our second city. When the Stormont government attempted to shutdown the Magee University College (as it then was) campus and divert its resources to the New Ulster University in Coleraine which was recommended by the Lockwood Report. The City rose up in unity with Brian …

Losing Belfast City – the Unionist retreat?

Jay Burbank on November 22, 2019, 8:00 am | Readers 13152

Losing the City of Belfast at the forthcoming election will do massive psychological damage to unionism. After the calamity of RHI, many in my family happily told of how they would not be exercising their vote at the Assembly election held after Martin McGuinness’ dramatic resignation in 2016 and especially in the second election called the next year. When the tally had come through in the 2017 election it was like a punch in the gut to some in the …

Join us for our 1st Derry/Londonderry event on 23rd October – A fair deal for Derry?

Brian O'Neill on October 14, 2019, 3:52 pm | Readers 1884

For decades we have heard about the need to invest and connect the North-West. But how do we deliver on this promise and ensure that we help build a more prosperous city that can create good jobs and improves the lives of all of its people? This Slugger O’Toole event will examine the challenges and the opportunities that face this part of the island. Panel: Steve Bradley – Derry native & Commentator Karen Bonner – Derry native & Lecturer in Entrepreneurship, Queen’s University …

Brexit or not, the borderlands are changing…

Jay Burbank on October 4, 2019, 7:40 am | Readers 2303

Recently amongst all the usual Brexit coverage, the Economist took a different angle when assessing the impact of any sudden change to the border here. They went to Derry/Londonderry and presented a story very different to the doom and gloom of a hard border. The City Deal package, currently still under negotiation, was planned not just with the city in mind but the entire cross-border region. The Derry/Strabane district including the northern Donegal area have a combined population of over …

50th Anniversary of The Battle of the Bogside…

Robert Campbell on August 10, 2019, 6:40 pm | Readers 2808

In the summer of 1969 Clive Limpkin was a staff photographer on the now defunct Daily Sketch. He’d found the job unrewarding, and was wondering if he wouldn’t be more interested in copywriting, going to J Walter Thompson for an interview. He didn’t take the job because of the meagre salary. He went back to the Sketch, where the picture editor had got wind of his intentions: he said: — Ulster. Apprentice Boys march in Derry on Tuesday. We think the shit …

Why Derry? How a City that’s continually held back became a Dissident Stronghold…

Steve Bradley on May 2, 2019, 11:56 am | Readers 9073

Just two hours before this year’s Good Friday – a time of year which holds clear associations with peace and progress in this part of the world – a talented young journalist was murdered on the streets of Northern Ireland by Dissident Republicans. The murder has been widely condemned, and has sent shock waves through a British and global media that had mistakenly believed this part of the world had completed its transition towards peace. Amid the intense media coverage …

Why is Derry So Poor? Part III – The Solutions

Steve Bradley on March 18, 2018, 7:35 pm | Readers 5792

It is clear that there are economic and social challenges facing Northern Ireland’s second city, and that little is being done to address them. So what type of solutions could be pursued to enable Derry to fulfil its potential as a key economic generator for the north west of the island ? Here are some suggestions : 1. Acknowledge the Problem The first step in dealing with any problem is to acknowledge its existence. Yet there has been no official …

Why is Derry So Poor ? Part II – The Reasons

Steve Bradley on March 10, 2018, 3:25 pm | Readers 10978

How did Northern Ireland’s second city find itself at the bottom of the pile? Before considering this it is important to acknowledge that there is nothing inherent to Derry which condemns it to the status of an economic outlier. Even its location on the north-western fringe of Europe should not be a major impediment – as proven by the relative success of locations like Galway, Limerick, Cork and Inverness. To the contrary, Derry features many of the things you would …

Why is Derry So Poor, and Why is Nothing Being Done About it ? (Part I)

Steve Bradley on March 9, 2018, 1:59 pm | Readers 24643

Twenty years after the Good Friday Agreement – whilst Belfast experiences a construction boom and tourists flock to the Titanic, Giants Causeway and Dark Hedges – a part of Northern Ireland is being increasingly left behind. Not just any part, but the north’s second city. A place which is supposed to function as the economic hub of an entire region of this island. And a city in which deprivation and inequality in previous decades lit the fuse that started Northern …

Memories of the October 5th 1968 Civil Rights March. The day The Troubles began…

Soapbox on February 4, 2018, 8:00 am | Readers 4831

I’ve never spoke on a public platform before, but feel moved to break my silence and contribute to the 50th anniversary civil rights Program. I always remind my twin brother, Fionnbarra, that I am his senior, being born one hour before him at 134 Bogside, which was then known as a single street which ran from the Slaughter House to the junction of Lecky Road & Rossville Street. My mother Mary Ellen, born 1908. hailed from Ballee, Ballymagory near …