Sunday, 16 September. We had breakfast in our room at 7:20. The choices were much more limited than they'd been on our other cruises. The shipped docked in Belfast at 9:00. Belfast is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom. It is commonly referred to as Ulster although it only includes six of the nine counties that made up the old province of Ulster. (The other three are now in the Republic of Ireland and resent the use of the name to refer to Northern Ireland.)

The weather was mostly cloudy with occasional rain. Our tour bus for Londonderry (about 70 miles away) left at 9:30. It drove right through Belfast rather than touring the city as our bus in Dublin had done, so we didn't see much of Belfast.
 

Belfast Titanic Visitor Center

Titanic Lifeboat Memorial

Dungivben lies behind its castle Village of Claudy

Derry is the second largest city in Northern Ireland. St. Columba founded a monastery on the east bank of the River Foyle in the sixth century, and for almost five hundred years Derry was primarily a monastic settlement. The secular city that followed eventually became an English garrison and was destroyed in 1608 by Irish rebels. Then in 1613, James I of England came up with a plan to subordinate Ulster by settling it with Protestants. Settlers from London and Scotland (The Irish Society) were granted a Royal Charter to build the city of Londonderry on the west bank of the River Foyle, opposite the ruins of Derry. The modern city covers both banks. While Londonderry is still the official name, most Irish call it Derry.

As we neared the River Foyle, we passed the Derry Workhouse (1840). (A workhouse was a public institution in which the destitute of a community received board and lodging in return for work, usually under very strict and arduous conditions.) Surprisingly, it remained a workhouse until 1948. It's now a museum.

We crossed to the west bank of the River Foyle on the double-deck Craigavon Bridge (railroad on lower level). In the roundabout at the end of the bridge was the "Hands across the Divide" peace monument (1992), built to commemorate the reconciliation between the Protestant and Catholic residents of the city. We could also see the very modern Peace Bridge (2011), a pedestrian bridge, just up the river.

Guild Hall

Butcher's Gate

We drove by the old Guildhall (1890), really the City Hall, just outside the city wall. Although I didn't notice the bus going through any gate, we clearly drove right through the old walled city because I took a picture of Austin's, Ireland’s oldest department store (1830) and probably the most ornate. Austin's is right on the Diamond, the central square of the walled city. I also didn't notice that the bus exited through any gate, yet we were dropped off outside the Butcher's Gate and walked through it into the walled city.

The weather had improved, but there still was occasional light rain. Our first stop was at the Tower Hotel where we had tea and scones (11:40-12:15). I went out ahead of our group and had time to walk down the block to the Diamond and take a few pictures before the others came out.


Then we began our group walk around the old city on the walls. The circumference of the walls is a mile, but we only walked about half way around. As we walked, our guide gave us the history of "The Troubles" between the Catholic and Protestant residents of Derry. Although there had long been enmity between the two sides, the Troubles began in Derry with the Battle of the Bogside in 1969. (Bogside is the working class Catholic neighborhood just outside the old city walls.) Derry was also the site of "Bloody Sunday" (1972) in which 26 unarmed protesters and bystanders were shot by British soldiers (14 died).
 

Murals in Bogside

By now the showers had stopped and the sun was in and out as we walked the walls (counterclockwise). Looking to the north, there was a great view of Bogside and, to the left, the rest of the city on the west bank. St. Eugene's Catholic Cathedral (1873) stood out. There were canon of different types (including ship cannon) scattered along the wall.



A short distance further along, we came to tiny St. Augustine's Church (1872), a real gem set in a beautiful garden on the wall. Then came something not so beautiful. As we walked over the top of Bishop's Gate, I looked down on the street below and saw the ugly fence that still separates the Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods of Derry. The tower along the fence is the last remaining part of an old jail (1791). Right across Bishop Street from the fence is Alexander House, a home for the elderly. I don't imagine that they enjoy the view.