I was very much of two minds as to whether or not to do a review of this courtyard which forms part of the Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall. My picture above will suggest why a review is perhaps unwarranted. Not only has the Good Reverend George Walker disappeared from his plinth on the City Walls but he also seems to have disappeared from the Walker Memorial Courtyard! Let me explain. Continue reading “Walker Memorial Courtyard”
For the uninformed this is indeed a very peculiar sight – a well preserved (in fact, totally refurbished in 2013) fenced in statue-less plinth. Continue reading “The Walker Memorial Plinth – Royal Bastion”
In Northern Ireland there currently exist three Protestant Orders having their roots in the Glorious Revolution of 1688-1690 when the Protestant King William III defeated the deposed Catholic James II and secured his and the Protestant ascendancy to the British Throne. While things moved on in Britain, Irish Protestants immediately started celebrating this victory and have been celebrating it ever since. Continue reading “The Apprentice Boys – Memorial Hall and Museum”
To the rear of First Derry Presbyterian Church is a refurbished Blue Coat School, now home to the The Blue Coat School Visitor Centre. This centre is a small museum on the history of Church, the history of Presbyterians in the city (and beyond) and the role Presbyterians played in the 1689 Siege of Derry. Continue reading “Blue Coat School Visitor Centre”
Presbyterians have resided in the City since around 1642 having arrived during the Plantation of Ulster which began in the early 1600s. By the time of the Siege of Derry there was a significant number of Presbyterians in the city but still they didn’t have a place of worship within the City Walls. During the Siege, like many others in the region, the Presbyterians had moved in behind the city walls either to assist in the defence of the City or to seek safety from Jacobite forces. Within the Walls they worshipped in St Columb’s Cathedral and at some time they actually had St Augustine’s Church“on loan”. Continue reading “First Derry Presbyterian Church”
An absolute must see. A real highlight of my visit.
St. Augustine’s, known as the “Wee Church on the Walls” is built on the site of St Columba’s first monastery in Ireland which was founded in 546AD on “God’s Little Acre”, this site on the oak clad Hill of Derry given to him by his cousin, Aed, King of Cenel Conaill. Continue reading “St Augustine’s – A Church of Many Names”
As you stroll along Derry City Walls you can’t fail to notice an abundance of old cannons. The majority of these cannons, and many more no longer in existence, were presented to the Plantation Settlers of the City in the early 1600s by various London livery companies – including Fishmongers, Grocers, Salters, Merchant Taylors and Vintners – under the auspices of The Honourable, The Irish Society. Continue reading “Roaring Meg and other Cannons”
This western section of the Derry City’s Wall, between Double Bastion and Butcher Gate, is the widest section of the Wall and is known as Grand Parade. What a great stretch of the Wall it is for those seeking to promenade. It was quite amazing to recall as I stroll along here that these walls are 400 years old and to think about the history under my feet and all around me. In addition to the strategic importance of this section of the Wall it has always been a preferred part of the Wall for a walk or other exercise. Continue reading “Grand Parade – Enjoy the Walk”
Despite numerous bombings through the “Troubles” this Greek Revival style building is as beautiful and sturdy looking as the day it was built, some 200 years ago in 1813 – though to be fair there have been a number of refurbishments in the intervening years. Continue reading “The Courthouse”
Cecil Frances Alexander (nee Humphreys) was born in Dublin in 1818 and moved to the Derry/Strabane area in 1836. It was here that she began writing both poetry and hymns in the very simplistic style for which she became world famous. Continue reading “There is a Green Hill (far away) in the Creggan”
The Rambling Wombat 