Is it Derry or Londonderry? - Pt 1 How it all Began
Discussing Northern Ireland is like stepping into a minefield, but here I go again. I have no Irish family connections, and so in that regard I have no personal interest, and all I knew about Derry/Londonderry before I came here was what I had seen and read in the news reports relating to The Troubles.
Unfortunately, media reports can’t always be relied upon to give a balanced view of things, and so one miserable weekend back in November 2007 I flew into Derry Airport with an open mind and made my way into Stroke City to see if I could unravel some of the reasons behind the conflict.
Stroke City is the nickname given to the city because, depending on a person’s religious or political persuasion (normally amounting to the same thing), it is either known as Derry or Londonderry, and so to keep everyone happy, it is often referred to as Derry/Londonderry – and as I follow the course of the city’s history, things should start to become clearer as to why.
Danny Boy (Londonderry Air) by Eva Cassidy
There must be easier topics to discuss than Irish political history, but to understand the reason why Derry/Londonderry became the focus of so many incidents during The Troubles it really can’t be ignored.
It also has to be remembered that until the Partition in 1921, the island of Ireland was a unified country: That’s not saying that all the country was united because that has hardly ever been the case, but the early history of Derry/Londonderry was very similar to that of the rest of Ireland. From the 6th -11th centuries the country was largely made up of small rural communities dominated by the Celtic Christian church, and it was during the 6th century that St. Columba set up a monastery at Daire Calgaich (Oak Grove of Calgach ) on the west bank of the River Foyle. The name has had several variations, but the abbreviated anglicised name of Derry was the one that eventually prevailed – and for now at least, I’ll continue to call it Derry.
St. Columba (or Colmcille) was an important Irish missionary who took Christianity to Scotland. He came from Gartan in the Irish kingdom of Tir Chonaill, which is more or less equivalent to today’s County Donegal, and it was a local king who granted St. Columba the site at Daire Calgach to build his monastery. The original monastery has long gone, but the 17th century St. Columb’s Cathedral still stands in the city centre in memory of the patron saint of Derry.
During this Early Medieval Period, Ireland consisted of kingdoms varying in importance and based on a pyramid structure. At the bottom of the pyramid, if you like, were small petty kingdoms (roughly the size of a baronry) which were known as tuath and ruled by a king or ri. The middle order kingdoms (roughly the size of a county) were ruled by overkings known as ruiri, and at the top of the pyramid were provinces ruled by a king of overkings (or High Kings), known as ri ruirech.
These High Kings belonged to different dynasties, all of which had ambitions to rule the whole of Ireland. For a long time the most powerful of these families were the Ui Neills, but their domination was ended by another king – Brian Boru. To many (but not all) he was the one and only High King who managed to unify most of the island.
While the provinces and their kings were jockeying for position, along came the Vikings to stir things up even more. From the late 8th century onwards they made their presence felt by trying to take the country for themselves. Fortunately for Derry, they concentrated their raids in the south, setting up ports at Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Cork and Limerick.
Eventually, the intruders were seen off by Brian Boru at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014, but he was killed in the process, and the High Kings were back at each other’s throats again. The size and number of provinces kept changing right up until James I permanently set the number to four in 1610: The provinces were Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster – and it was Ulster (which included Derry) that eventually became the basis for the six counties of Northern Ireland. Now you know why Northern Ireland is still sometimes referred to as Ulster.
The in-fighting between the Irish kings ultimately led to an invasion by the English – or the Norman-English to be precise, but before England gets the blame again, it was an Irish King who invited them over.
In 1169, Diarmait mac Murchada (Dermot MacMurragh), the deposed King of Leinster, asked King Henry II of England for help in regaining his kingdom, and if all turned out well, then the King of Leinster was more than happy to give Henry some Irish land of his own.
Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Henry despatched some mercenaries across the Irish Sea to help out, and they didn’t take long in returning Leinster back to its previous king, but to make their journey worthwhile they took a bit more land as well. Now that Henry had a foothold in Ireland, he encouraged more incursions, and the one who created the most havoc was Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, better known as Strongbow. He married King Dermot’s daughter and began carving a nice little slice of Ireland out for himself, or he would have done if Henry hadn’t intervened.
Ultimately, the Anglo-Norman invasion didn’t go quite as well as planned, but the seeds had been sown. The English now had a presence in Ireland and one they didn’t intend to relinquish. Gaelic life did return to some sort of normality in Ireland while England was sorting out some of its own problems, but when things settled down, they were back – and this time, they intended to make it permanent. In Part 2 I’ll be discussing how it happened and where Derry fitted into the equation.
POSTED – DECEMBER 2022
Originally posted 2022-12-09 16:49:52.
Ah, these early fighting times. I will be reading part 2 tomorrow/.
I hope you can make sense of it all because Irish history is pretty convoluted. It’s also work in progress as I think you’ve already noticed.
Absolutely. I think you gave a good account and doing it in pieces is a wise move. A large part of my my mum’s ancestry was Irish. They came in the famine. Most of my Mr’s ancestry is the same. I often wonder if what added to the convolution is that way back it would be the island at the end of the world as that world was known then, in some ways. Of course where Ulster is concerned you also had James 6th and 1st shoving his oar in
You’ve raised a couple of good points there Shey.
You’re too kind. Now I am off to read part 3
Malcolm,
What a great post! I have very much enjoyed reading this Part I post on Derry/Londonderry! We visited Ireland and Northern Ireland in 2015. We spent one night in Derry/Londonderry after a great tour of “Stroke City” which included a walk around the city walls and all the information the local guide could possibly hope for us to absorb. Your post certainly lays a strong and interesting foundation for your readers to build their knowledge of the city upon! Can’t wait to read Part II. (P.S. Saw the Boru Harp at the Trinity College Library in Dublin while on our trip!)
Thanks for reading this first part Sylvia. As you say it lays the foundations for a mini series. I hope it doesn’t disappoint, especially as you have an insight in where I’m talking about.
A very interesting read on Irish history! Some of my ancestors came to America from Antrim County in the 18th century.
Thanks for checking it out. There’s obviously more to come, so I hope you’ll look at those too, especially as you have an ancestral interest 🙂
Another great read, Malc. Having spent a week in Dublin many moons ago, I’ve always wanted to return to Ireland and explore the place further, but I’ve never been to Northern Ireland. You’ve covered some great history here, told as always in your warm and engaging style. Its interesting to read the stories from within Ireland as I’ve always studied their past from the perspective of either England, Scotland or Wales. I love the Anglo-Norman invasion, for example, but have mostly looked at it through the famous twelfth century chronicler Gerland of Wales’s account of his family members’ involvement in the campaign. I’m a big fan of Strongbow too, so it was good to see his tomb – if a bit galling that I didn’t see it when I was over there, but then again that was long before I was enchanted by the Middle Ages. And of course I often associate de Clare with his lordship of one of my favourite English casles, Goodrich in Ross on Wye. A fascinating introduction to the story of Derry, and I look forward to the next instalment. 🙂
I’m pleased to see that you’ve clocked this one Alli. Irish history isn’t always easy to follow, but it’s fascinating, even if controversial at times. My visit here (as it was in Belfast) was to get a different perspective on the history of Northern Ireland, and I got what I came for. The weather was awful which made it quite a depressing trip, but one that I wouldn’t have missed for the world. Thanks for your usual lovely comments 😊
Always a pleasure Malc. Sorry the weather let you down, but you’re right, the history is fascinating – if complex – and I’m looking forward to more of your perspective on the North.
This will be one of my longer topics Alli which is why I’ve decided to split it up into separate parts. Hopefully, it’ll be easier to get to grips with that way. Thanks for your support 🙂
I’m going to enjoying following this Derry history series. I once spent a night there for work reasons but only saw my hotel and the Weatherspoons next door! I’d be curious to go back and see the city properly but meanwhile I’m confident you’re going to give me a great tour!
Thanks Sarah. I’ll do my best, but the photos won’t be up to much. Weatherwise, it was an awful weekend, but in a way seemed to fit the bill
It’s a very interesting piece, beautifully written 👌👌
Thank you for your very kind comments. They’re greatly appreciated.
You’re welcome!
As ever, very interesting. I look forward to part 2.
I hope it doesn’t disappoint 🙂
I always appreciate your clear and clear-headed explanations of complicated situations. Looking forward to learning more about Ireland.
Thanks Don. I really appreciate those comments 🙂
I’m very much looking forward to reading more Malc. I’ve never been to Northern Ireland but my son’s dad came from the south – Co. Tipperary – and over the last six years I’ve had several short holidays over there during which I’ve discovered and researched some of the political history of various people, buildings and statues around Dublin so your future writings will be of great interest.
Irish history is absorbing, controversial and fascinating in equal measures and it still continues to this day as the Irish Prtocol dilemma shows. Thanks for your interest Eunice and I hope you enjoy the posts I have planned 🙂
Thank you very much for sharing this great historical explanation ❣️💐❣️
And thank you for taking a look Luisa 🙂
You’re more than welcome 🙏
Brilliant, Malc and quite understandable. Most likely of what I know about the Troubles are from reading Higgin’s Sean Dillion novels.
Irish and British politics have been at loggerheads for centuries. Even your current President has a dislike for the British because of his Irish ancestry. I will endeavour to unravel some of the truth in an impartial way as I always do. I hope you continue to follow the blogs to come.
That’s the plan, man
Thank you, Malc, for explaining the history of English invasion and the beginning of the troubles. Your have talent for history and I am always astonished by your knowledge and your fascinating presentation! I will wait for the part 2, thank you.
Joanna
Thank you as always Joanna. This series of posts won’t be one of my heart-lifting blogging moments, but I hope you stick with it because I really do try to understand why events in history affect what we are today – and I don’t cherry-pick the truth.