Derry - The Maiden City

The tragic events of the 30th January 1972 - better known as Bloody Sunday - brought the small city of Derry in Northern Ireland to the attention of the world's media like never before.

As one of the flashpoints of the historic conflict we call The Troubles, Derry saw its fair share of violence and communal suffering. 

Yet in the midst of this collective trauma the small City by the River Foyle produced two Nobel Prize winners and had a cultural output (poetry and popular music) to rival any of the great metropolises of Europe or North America. 

Fifty years on, and the opposing traditions of the 'Maiden City'  have become a textbook example in what conflict resolution and reconciliation can achieve.

Join me on this presentation as we journey around the only city in Europe to have preserved its medieval walls in their entirety.

We will cover:

*The origins of Derry as 'Doire Colmcille' - the monastic settlement founded by St Columba in 546AD.

*How the Ulster Plantation of the early 1600's created the City we know today.

*Why during periods of mass emigration from the land, Derry was the only city which flourished economically. 

*How Derry became the US's first overseas  military base after America's entry into WWII in December 1941.

*How Derry group The Undertones became the only rock group in history to literally 'bring the house down'.

*We'll sample some of the Maiden City's prodigious musical heritage - from the easy listening of Phil Coulter (23 Platinum records) to the racy riffs of iconic punk group Stiff Little Fingers.

*Look in detail at the background to the events of Bloody Sunday, what happened that day, the people involved and the historic moves made towards resolution and reconciliation.