It's a long way from Cork to Derry — but here's why it's worth the road trip

Northern Ireland’s second largest city is as much a frame of mind as it is an identity — with a shared culture and mutual pride of place, writes Kate Ryan

The Peace Bridge spans the River Foyle wx140326

Whichever way you look at a map of Ireland, Derry is a long way from anywhere. It’s early spring, and this far north there’s a biting difference in temperature from the West Cork coast I left behind. Nevertheless, a road trip is always a good idea, the welcome in Derry is perennially a warm one and being back here feels gorgeously familiar.

If the essence of welcome could be bottled and aromatised, then the enveloping scents of gorse and oak — the tree that is Derry’s namesake — emanating from The Ebrington Hotel is exactly it. Their bespoke EB Essence is the kind of comforting allure needed to soothe the spirits of this weary traveller; but it’s a calm, crisp night and I need to stretch my legs and fill my lungs with fresh air. Bags ditched, I head out under a fuzzy moon across Ebrington Square, the former military barracks turned newly vibrant Derry en Foyle on the east side of the city.