I think I have to start this by asking you: have ever seen Derry Girls? If not google it right now. Ok have you looked it up? Now then let’s start the story. Derry Girls was a show I discovered back when I was 17. It was still the time where Ireland was just a dream to me. As the years went by the show became one of my favorites, especially after I studied abroad in Ireland and learned I was actually supposed to live in Ireland in the 90s. Also through my studies in college I learned a lot about the Troubles and now I probably know more than a twenty something girl from rural Minnesota should know about Northern Ireland. It became something I really connected with even though all my travels in Ireland had been in the republic.
When I went back to visit in November I decided it was finally time to visit Northern Ireland. It was time to see where my favorite show took place, where the epicenter of the Troubles happened, and where the place that really sparked my interest in Ireland was!
Derry is quite easily one of my favorite places in Ireland now (nothing will ever beat Galway though.) There is so much history to explore and the people are really some of the nicest in Ireland. It really was everything I thought it would be and more, making it somewhere I would easily recommend on a trip to Ireland. And if you need some inspiration, well then here was my weekend in Derry.
Day 1
I am just going to preface this by saying it was not an easy journey to Derry. It is about a 6 to 7 hour bus ride from Galway, as the bus drives through Mayo, Sligo, and Donegal with many stops on the way before getting to Derry. And let’s just say you are not guaranteed to get a bus with a bathroom so be prepared to run across the street to the pub during a stop. I really wish that it hadn’t been dark during my bus ride because this part of Ireland is supposed to be just beautiful. My friends had class so we had to take the last bus at 4 pm, which mean not much daylight for looking out the window.
We arrived in Derry a little after 10 pm. We had to arrange a late check in at our B&B, but they were super accommodating and everything went smoothly. We stayed at Clarence House and I highly recommend it. The people working there were lovely and we had great service. The desk worker even gave us some recommendation, which I will get to later. It was a reasonable price and the room was so cozy. They even let us leave out bags there on our last day since we had to check out earlier than our bus departure.
Our first night in Derry was very chill. We ordered in some Chinese food (which was only somewhat sketchy) and just spend the night hanging out (which may have included taking a look at Derry Tinder.) We had to rest up for our busy day of sight seeing the next day.
Day 2
Now this was out busy day as it was our only full day in Derry. We debated trying to go to Giants Causeway or to the stone fort, Grianán of Aileach, which was suggested by the B&B worker. I am glad we decided that our time would be better spent in Derry because there was a lot for us to see and do. When I travel I prefer to really get to know a place and get everything out of it that it has to offer rather than trying to hit as many places as I can.
We started our day by getting breakfast at the Skullery, and by getting breakfast I mean missing the breakfast cutoff by 5 mins and having to order off of the lunch menu. The lunch menu had pancakes which were still good, but they weren’t the eggs benedict that I had been craving. I highly recommend the restaurant because as you will read later I did end up eating here again. The service is great and the people are very nice.
After we ate we decided to check out the Tower Museum. If you were to only able to choose one museum to visit in Derry, this would be the one I suggest. It includes the Derry Girl experience along with “The Story of Derry” which gives you all the history of Derry you need to know, and “An Armada Shipwreck” which gives you some of the history of the Spanish Armada in Ireland. Sadly we breezed through the armada exhibit along with some of the other smaller exhibits, as we took a lot of time in the history exhibit. I am very much a history nerd so I physically could not get myself to leave the history exhibit until I saw and read everything. My favorite by far though was the Derry Girls experience.
It is not expensive to visit the Tower Museum. It’s 6 pounds and 4 if you still have a valid student ID. The Derry Girls experience is the first exhibit when you enter. It starts with an introduction to the characters and then you’ll find yourself in the Quinn’s family living room. There are also a few props on display like Erin’s Diary and the statue from the first episode.
After a pit stop in the Quinn’s kitchen you’ll be nearing the end, but make sure to vote on the Good Friday Agreement! Then there is a photo opp to dress like the girls and promote the Starz in their Eyes talent show. At the end you will see their wardrobe and then one last Derry Girls photo.
There are a lot of ways to engage in the experience by looking at the props and set but also through an audio tour, trivia, and virtual reality stops that I never really was able to figure out, but it was still great without it. After you go through the Derry Girls experience you can take a little tunnel that transports you back in time to the history exhibit.
You start in the medieval times and then make your way to the 1500s and 1600s which was a busy time in Irish history. There is a lot to learn about this time in Ireland that we don’t learn about in the States, like the Plantations of Ulster (Ulster is the province of Ireland that is Northern Ireland is a part of) and the wars, rebellions, and sieges such as the one of Derry.
The 1700s while not a boring time of Irish history, is not as exciting to me. There is still a lot to learn as it was a time of economic growth as well as division between Protestants and Catholics. Once you find yourself in the 1800s things start to feel a little bit more familiar with the topics of the Famine and emigration. The one thing I will say about this museum, while it is super interesting and one of my favorite museums I have visited, a lot of it comes from the perspective of the Protestant Unionists. That is not to say that it is a wrong perspective, but it is important in history to always view events from all perspectives. With that being said, in terms of the Famine it is often said throughout Ireland that the British caused the famine and didn’t aid the people of Ireland when they could have, but this will not be included in the museum.
Then you hit the 1900s which is the part of history I think is the most interesting and is quite relevant to Ireland today. In this century we see the partition of Ireland, the enlistment of 200,000 Irishmen in the British army during World War I, the Irish War of Independence, the economic boom during World War II, the formation of the IRA as well as Bloody Sunday, and the Good Friday Agreement.
There is truly a lot to learn about Irish history and if any of what I just wrote interests you at all then I highly recommend digging deeper into these topics and events as well as checking out some history museums like the Tower Museum while in Ireland.
Once you have completed the Irish history part of the Tower Museum you can check out the other exhibits. We had fun in the the kids room dressing up in medieval costumes (they definitely didn’t fit.) And then at the end when your brain can’t handle anymore information, you can walk to the top floor, which is the terrace, for an amazing view of the city. Definitely a 10 out of 10 stop in Derry.
Our next stop in Derry was the city walls. I highly recommend grabbing a map of the city at the Tower Museum, because there is a lot to see as you walk the city walls that encompass the city. We started at the Derry Girls mural and then from there walked towards the Bogside which has such an amazing view! There are definitely a lot of photo opps along the way.
Along our walk we came across a really cool shop called The Yellow Yard. It was a music, gift, vintage, and book store. If I didn’t have to fly across an ocean with just a suite case I would have bought so much! This is when I felt like I was truly living my 90s Irish fantasy.
After we completed the city walls, which took us back to the Tower Museum, we decided it was time to find a spot for dinner. We discovered it was very hard to walk into a pub for food during dinner time. They all were completely busy. We walked into a few before we decided to give up on the idea of a pub and just find a restaurant.
We settled on Pyke ‘N’ Pommes which was a snazzy hipster restaurant that allowed me to get my fish and chips without getting too fancy. While it wasn’t the pub I was hoping for, it still had a fun vibe.
After dinner we headed back to our B&B for a bit before heading back out. This was our night to hit the town and we planned to go to the one and only San Dinos as suggested by John, the desk worker. I am not sure what we were expecting but it wasn’t this. The vibe at San Dinos is not like one I have ever experienced before. It could be described as maybe a disco club with a bit of a pub feel influenced by 1950s Cuba? I will just show you the pictures and you can decide what you think.
It was actually so fun. The people there were maybe a little bit older than me but not by much and they all were dressed pretty casual. There is a lot of space if you go to the dance hall part and not the pub which has a different entrance. In this area there was also a DJ which is where the club feeling came in with the house music he was playing.
We didn’t stay out terribly late as we had to wake up kind of early in the morning to check out and to make sure we had enough time to see the rest of the stuff we wanted to see in Derry. It was a very fun night and I don’t think the trip to Derry would have been complete without San Dinos.
Day 3
Our last day in Derry started a bit earlier as we had to check out of our B&B around 8 and we had a lot we wanted to see before our bus ride back. They allowed us to leave our bags at the desk and lended us some umbrellas for the dreary day. I really loved out B&B! Then we finally managed to snag some breakfast at the Skullery (they remembered us and our drink orders) and I got my eggs benedict.
Today we would be exploring the Bogside. It is the neighborhood outside of the Derry City Walls that is majority Catholic and Irish Republican. It also was the focal point of many of the events of the Troubles. You know you have made it when you have found Free Derry corner. Here you will see many more remnants of the Troubles with posters promoting the Irish Republic as well as IRA propaganda. It definitely feels like taking a step back into time even though the Troubles were resolved nearly 30 years ago but that doesn’t stop the beliefs in a United Ireland or resolve the injustices that have not been rectified.
Once we entered the Bogside we went on a little walk to the Derry City Cemetery. One of my friends had a family member buried here, so we wanted to visit not only to visit said family member but also pay tribute to the people who have lost their lives in Derry’s tumultuous past.
The Bogside is also known for its murals by the Bogside Artists which depict the struggles and events that took place in the area as well as honoring those who have died during the Troubles and promoting peace. There are so many murals that it is impossible to see them all, but we managed to see a few of the big ones. I didn’t even get pictures of all the ones we saw. I highly recommend taking time to try to find some of these murals.
During our time in the Bogside we also checked out the Museum of Free Derry. This museum differs from the Tower Museum as it does not dance around the subject. It tells the story, from the Catholics perspective, of government oppression, the events of Bloody Sunday, and the journey to civil rights. It was definitely worth the stop as it was not expensive at all (8 pounds for students). I think this museum is important for understanding the perspective of the oppressed and the way forward.
Our last stop was the Peace Bridge. This was on the other side of the Derry city walls, so we had to leave the bogside, reenter the city walls, which ended up taking us through the loyalist sector of the city, and walk towards the River Foyle
The bridge was opened in 2011 and connects Ebrington Square with the rest of the city center with its cycle and walking path. While it is not as historical as the rest of the city, it has its own unique and intersting charm. I think it gave a great view of the city and it is quite enjoyable to look at the river and experience how big it really is. It just can get a little cold on those rainy and windy days, but is definitely worth the little walk, even if you aren’t trying to get to the other side.
After finishing our walk, grabbing a little lunch (it was fast food so I am not sharing from where), and picking up our backpacks, we boarded our 6 hour bus back to Galway.
Derry resonated differently with me than the rest of Ireland. I love Ireland so much and everywhere I go is just insanely magical and beautiful, but Derry gave me something the rest of Ireland has not. It provided a deeper understanding of struggle and the strength of Ireland and the Irish people. You could feel the dark history, but the people were still just as happy and nice as the people in the rest of Ireland if not more. For this reason Derry holds a special place in my heart and I will advocate a stop here for anyone visiting Ireland. This city is part of what makes Ireland the way it is.
The Journal of Wanderlust 