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

Sat, 14 Mar, 2026 - 01:00

Kate Ryan

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.

Beyond the cannons and high stone walls of Ebrington’s fortifications is the Peace Bridge. For a Thursday evening, it’s a bustle of joggers, dog and power walkers, retiree couples, and friends taking a stroll with their last coffee of the day. Plans are being made for a wee pint, bottomless weekend brunches, or chatter about the increasingly iconic warm-from-the-oven pasteis de nata from the Froydenlund’s over at The Fold (see Legenderry Sips & Nibbles overleaf).

The bridge is a connector in more ways than one, a symbolic monument to two hands meeting mid river. The handshake is a universal sign of truce and peace; more than a symbol in this place, I think, as I make my way across the inky black river.

Stitching together two sides of the city, the bridge has been, and is, transformative. For whom this place of many names is home, Derry is as much a frame of mind as it is an identity with a shared culture and mutual pride of place. I feel it as I walk. Maybe, while here, I’ll be a wee bit Derry, too?

The Guildhall, as viewed from the city's walls

The following morning under a bright blue sky, I head to the Guildhall. On my last visit to Derry, there wasn’t time to visit; I suppose administrative centres aren’t usually on the Must See list. But the Guildhall is an architectural gem emblazoned with intricate stained glass windows paying homage to the various trades that built Derry into a bustling centre of industry. Many face up to the city’s troubled past and its commitment to building a better future for all.

At the entrance to the ceremonial Main Hall is an exhibition of the John Hume Peace Prize Collection: the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, the Martin Luther King Jnr Non-Violent Prize conferred in 1999, and Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize awarded in 2001. Hume is the only person in the world to be bestowed all three in recognition of his work, but these accolades also recognise the determination of every Derry man and woman who shares in this legacy.

A multitude of monikers

In truth, there’s not a lot that’s straightforward about Derry. The city itself has a multitude of monikers: is it Derry, Londonderry, or Derry~Londonderry? Stroke City was coined as a diplomatic shorthand by BBC Radio Ulster broadcaster Gerry Anderson, while Maiden City refers to its historical pride in being the only city to never have been breached by sea. Most recent is Legenderry promoting the city as a food and drink tourism destination.

It’s not cut and dry, but this intricate dance around the elephant in the room is no less admirable for the borderline scholarly efforts to find a Derry mother tongue that is unique to this place.

From Derry’s famous medieval walls, I’m treated to panoramic views of the city. It’s the only complete defensive walled system to exist in the world dating back over 400 years, yet walking the entire rampart unhindered has only been possible since 1995. At just under 1.5km, “doing a circuit” is a favourite pastime of Derryites and friendly exchanges between strangers is all part of the experience.

Even as we linger at Bishop’s Gate with its view down toward the Guildhall, River Foyle and Peace Bridge, I’m treated to an impromptu lesson in Derry history, pride and wee bit of poetry from a Derry City council worker repairing one of the cobblestones.

“There isn’t a place in the world that couldn’t trace a connection back to Derry somehow,” he tells us. “No one can touch us for the levels of history we have,” he says; “Derry people are very proud of that.”

I’m told that in Derry, it was and still is music that provides neutral territory. Music was where people could come together without declaring for one side or the other, especially the punk music scene. Culture, in whatever form it takes, is where Derry shines. The city embraced its status as 2013 City of Culture placing itself on the world stage as open, welcoming and progressive, using its cultural cachet to tell a new story for Derry and its people.

The ripple effect did not diminish when that tenure concluded; it merely was a catalyst for realising the potential Derry had. From a tourism perspective, this wee city is outclassing its big sister in Belfast. In 2025, Derry tourism grew by 29% while the rest of Northern Ireland saw a drop in visitor numbers. Second city status be damned!

Derry's future

So, what is shaping the future for Derry today?

One way to find out is to take a Derry by Fork food tour with Philadelphia-born chef, Emily McCorkell, who offers three walking tours showcasing a taste of the city and the people redrawing the lines of its food culture.

McCorkell tells me Derry’s food scene is a deliciously blended mix of what she calls the “inverse diaspora” of the city — those who come from elsewhere and have made Derry their home. McCorkell says through food they are inviting the people of Derry to experience a taste of their home, here. Derry is a port city, after all, and therefore a natural born melting pot.

Regeneration is the name of the game here, and back across the Peace Bridge in Ebrington I enjoy a sneak-peak at a £6.2m project to create an ambitious third space for people to visit, gather, share, learn, and work together.

Acorn Farm, located on the edge of St Columb’s Park and due to open later this year, will be Derry’s first urban park and the showcase project in its journey to become a Sustainable Food City. A trio of geodomes, learning spaces, gardens and edible landscapes are all designed to support and reconnect people with where food comes from and promote nutritional health.

Aside from the farm itself, fully funded programmes aim to reconnect people with the source of their food, promote environmentally conscious practices, and foster a deep appreciation for the beauty of nature within an urban landscape.

Jennifer O’Donnell, tourism manager at Derry City and Strabane District Council, a key stakeholder in the Acorn Farm project, said of their I Can Grow programme that anyone who wants to learn can access everything they need to grow some of their own food (including tools and seeds) and given access to a horticulturalist who will teach them how to grow on a one-to-one basis.

The ambition is commendable, but maybe this is that fabled Derry mindset in action. When a place and its people have spent long enough in the shadow of tragedy, the collective appetite for emerging phoenix-like from the ashes is to be admired.

In Derry, nothing is impossible because the worst has already happened.

During the tour of Derry’s walls, the guide posed an interesting question: What’s the metric for success in Derry?

For me, as a visitor, it’s that I can’t wait to come back to see and taste what’s next on Derry’s ambitious agenda for itself.

The people who want Derry to be a success are addictively inspiring and unendingly warm, friendly people. Who doesn’t want to be around that?

Derry is exciting, nuanced, complex, ambitious. It really is Legenderry.

Escape Notes

LegenDerry Sips & Nibbles

For the full low down on Derry’s food scene, visit legenderryfood.com

The Fold

Derry legends Shauna and Mark Froydenlund’s new daytime bakery cafe is serving Established Coffee “short black” Americano and cinnamon-scented pasties de nata.

O’Loughlin’s Irish House

Go for the memorabilia; stay to Pull Your Own Pint.

Salumeria Mariuccia

Properly authentic Italian deli, and don’t miss Antonio’s delicious cannoli.

El Tapas Grá

Popular hangout for Derry girls with seasonal sharing boards, bottomless brunch, small plates, wines, and cocktails.

Stitch & Weave

Chef Niall Gotham has a penchant for excellent steaks and wild game or just come for the very sinful Two Stacks Frozen Irish Coffee.

The Walled City

Microbrewery and gin school with restaurant on site. Can’t decide which beer or gin to try? Go for a flight and sample until happy.

Don’t Miss

Derry’s murals

From Derry Girls to Factory Girls to Free Derry, no-one quite does murals like the wee city.

visitderry.com/things-to-do

‘Derry Girls’ Museum

The only place to see a curated collection of authentic Derry Girls memorabilia from TV sets, props and costumes.

towermuseumcollections.com

Guildhall

Free entry to interesting exhibitions on Derry’s stories past, Hume peace prize collection, stained glass windows, and great cultural events.

guildhallderry.com

Derry Walls

Choose a walk of the walls lead by expert guides each with their own perspective on the telling of Derry’s history.

thederrywalls.com

Derry by Fork

Food walking tours of the city are a tasty way to navigate the city and get a sense of Derry’s food culture.

derrybyfork.ie

Acorn Farm

Derry’s visionary urban farm, opening later this year. DNA – Derry Museum on the North Atlantic

acornfarmni.com

DNADerry Museum on the North Atlantic

Due to open in 2027 on Ebrington Square, this museum aims to bring together the diasporic stories of Derry people past and present from collected archives and artefacts in its most complete form for the first time ever.

dnamuseum.com