In my opinion there are approximately 150,140 reasons to love my city, the people who call the city and the surrounding area home (NISRA, 2016). I have lived in Liverpool, London and visited multiple countries including Spain, America, Croatia, France, and Poland to name a few. Regardless of where I go, when people discover that I am from Derry, the response is much the same.
People discuss the diverse culture we have, the depth of history that such a small City has, but above all, they report that they have heard that the people are warm and welcoming, a fact that I am very proud of. What is even more inspiring is that the “Derry Nature”, a welcoming culture which has flourished during over 30 years of political turmoil and relative poverty.
I remember an older lady that I was caring for discussing why the people of our City were so special, she discussed that they were “the salt of the earth”, “they never knew wealth for the most part and those who have nothing, judge you not on your wealth, but on the heart in your chest and the depth of your character”.
Growing up, I always remember seeing coach loads of tourists was as common a sight, as a mother with a pram. Our city is only one of two European Cities that has a complete set of city walls, which allow visitors to get a sense of what the city would have been like at the time of the Siege of Derry. We have St Columb’s Cathedral which houses various artefacts from the City’s rich history, including a cannon ball which housed the terms for the surrender of the City.
We have the “Long Tower” (St Columba’s Chapel which a past that demonstrates a long standing feeling of mutual respect within the City. As a succession of Protestant Bishops and the protestant community who helped to fund the building and restoration of what is the longest serving Catholic Chapels in the city. We obviously sit along the banks of the river Foyle, leading to Lough Foyle, which offers stunning scenic riverbank walks.
We also have the world renowned Guildhall and clock tower, right up to recent additions, such as the “peace bridge”, a modern walking bridge that unites the two sides of the City that are divided by the river. As the name suggests, it is a piece of stunning architecture to celebrate unity and peace. Our rich Maritime heritage, given the City’s role during the 2nd
World War, attracts American tourist’s year on year, who wish to visit the city where their parents fell in love.
You have the countless murals across the city that depict the history of the city in incredible detail, this use of art to celebrate the past and educate those from foreign shores and for future generations is a must see. Our city is a creative hub, the arts/ music and culture courses through our veins, we were the inaugural UK City of Culture 2013, which resulted in playing host to globally renowned exhibits such as the Tuner Prize.
We have hosted BBC’s One Big Weekend, MTV Crashes and regularly welcome world class artists to our new outdoor concert venue, Ebrington square. We have produced sons and daughters who have shaped modern history/ literature in John Hume (Noble Peace Prize Winner) and Seamus Heaney (Noble Prize in Literature).
We are very proud of the musical talent that was nurtured by the City, such as Phil Coulter, Jonny Mc Daid (Snow Patrol) and of course our very own, Nadine Coyle (Solo Artist/ Lead vocalist of Girls Aloud). Our city is a gateway to the incredible Wild Atlantic Way, a starting point for one of Michael Palin’s the Top Ten Rail Journeys in the World (Derry to Coleraine). The city offers a wealth of restaurants and bustling nightlife, with live music nightly.
More recently, our fair city has captured the hearts of the UK public following the phenomenal success of Channel 4’s smash hit comedy series. As a city, we are not only proud of the fact that local actresses are among the cast or the fact that it’s the work of a local writer but mainly because it showcases are humour perfectly.
For me, yes we may have a bit of a strange accent, and I could offer a further one hundred and one reasons why you should come and visit our city which attracts, on average, upwards of 500,000 tourists a year. However, I will be forever proud of the incredible people/ places that have shaped who I am today.
Emmette Dillon
(BAM Magazine)