Day 15 in Derry: tragedy and comedy

It is difficult to decide exactly what brought us to Derry, but honouring one of religion’s great prophets is surely a good answer!

We’ve spent decades knowing about the Troubles in Derry, but never thought of it as other than grainy pictures on the news until the first series of Derry Girls was released. We got much of the teenage and religious humour; but after going to the city, we released how much we missed. The history of the town goes deep; but, as in much of Ireland, there seems to be evidence of a fresh start and new growth, so we really enjoyed being here even for a single night’s stay.

Driving here took us through Donegal. The signs of poverty are still here in the ruins of cottages (I think the Irish love leaving the remains of buildings to remind themselves of the limits of hope), but the new houses (of a modern design) and refurbishments, as well as the number of holiday houses, were an indication of Ireland’s increasingly prosperous condition. The countryside and the coast were as picturesque as we had imagined them, but grey weather dissuaded us from too much stopping, though we certainly took the scenic route.

Derry itself was a bit of a surprise: it has its own ironic humour and all the people seemed very friendly. We didn’t have much trouble getting around and dinner at a brewpub was fantastic. Our walking tour with Gleann — after we had already done the walls and the Cathedral (the first post-Reformation cathedral in Europe, as we were told) — gave us at least a sense of how serious the conflict had been. We found ourselves at the site of the ‘Bloody Sunday’ massacre without realising it.

There was evidence a-plenty that the Peace process had not resolved all the issues: Brexit was not only an act of economic suicide by the little-Britainers, but it nearly derailed the hard one accord between Catholic and Protestant. That it holds is testament to the 25-year journey the Province has been on since the Good Friday Peace Agreement; but seeing the 80 per cent Catholic population down in the Bogside looking up at the Protestant estates near the walls was a salutary lesson in the difficulties of resolving conflict.

The reality is, however, that it was not and is not about religion, although the slogans of religion have played a part, and there has been no hesitation on the part of the Churches (especially Rome, in the South) in getting too involved. As Gleann said, it’s not about religion, it’s about identity: it’s about Unionist vs Nationalist. There are certainly efforts to bridge the gap, and the Church of Ireland seems to want to be an honest broker; but the blackboard from Derry Girls (which is now in the Ulster Museum!) says it all.

One can only hope that the process continues, even if it has decades to go. My honest opinion is that Northern Ireland cannot possibly remain part of the UK under the current arrangements, given the demographic shifts. Whether or not some of the arrangements proposed before the First World War might be the solution, or whether it becomes part of the Republic (which the 45 per cent of the Unionist would find unthinkable), is a matter for the next generation.

It is therefore rather more pleasant to reflect on how far things have come from the years in which Derry Girls was set; and the show is certainly a better legacy that the cannons on the walls. We came in search of Derry.

And we certainly found it.

Thanks to Gleann Doherty of Derry Guided Tours. Brilliant couple of hours, full of history and comedy, and only limited tragedy.