It’s been an age since I wrote Part 1 of this period of Northern Ireland’s history, but it’s now time to pick up where I left off. Before I continue though, I think it’s worth mentioning that, for this article at least, I intend using the name Londonderry rather than Derry, and the reason is that in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, they give this explanation –  “The British government officially refers to the city as Londonderry City. In 1984 the nationalist-controlled Londonderry City Council renamed itself the Derry City Council. In 2007 a British High Court judge ruled that the city’s name could be changed to Derry only through legislation or by Royal prerogative”. That’s that sorted then.

Now, if you’ve got a good memory you may be able to cast your mind back to how England, Scotland and Ireland came to have a new ruler in Oliver Cromwell, a controversial figure if ever there was one. His tactics in helping Thomas Fairfax overthrow King Charles I left his commander-in-chief less than happy and he resigned leaving Cromwell in control. If your memory needs jogging, you can return to the first part of my description of the Walled City here.

After overcoming Irish Catholic and Royalist resistance, Cromwell completed the colonisation of Ireland, which now became part of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland. (Wales had already been part of the kingdom when the Tudors became monarchs of both England and Wales). To say that Cromwell wasn’t universally popular with the Catholic Irish would be an understatement, but Protestant Londonderry had supported the Parliamentarians.

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Originally posted 2024-09-11 16:40:24.