• Free Derry Corner - Visit the renowned Free Derry Corner for some fantastic photo opportunities.
• The Bogside Artists - Explore “The Bogside,” a predominantly Catholic/Irish republican area adjacent to the Protestant/Ulster loyalist enclave of the Fountain. Located outside the city walls of Derry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, the Bogside is home to large gable-wall murals by the Bogside Artists, Free Derry Corner, and the Gasyard Féile, all of which are popular tourist attractions.

Learn about The Battle of the Bogside, a significant communal riot that occurred from August 12 to 14, 1969, in Derry, Northern Ireland. The conflict involved Bogside residents (organized under the Derry Citizens’ Defence Association) and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) along with local unionists.

The riot began at the conclusion of an Apprentice Boys parade that passed along the city walls, near the Catholic Bogside. Intense rioting ensued between local unionists and police on one side and Catholics on the other. The clashes between police and Bogside residents lasted three days, with police unable to enter the area, leading to the deployment of the British Army to restore order. This riot, which triggered widespread violence across Northern Ireland, is often regarded as one of the first major confrontations in the conflict known as the Troubles.

• Republican Murals: Bloody Sunday - Discover Operation Motorman, a significant British Army operation (HQ Northern Ireland) during the Troubles. Conducted in the early hours of July 31, 1972, the operation aimed to reclaim “no-go areas” (areas controlled by residents, typically Irish republican paramilitaries) established in Belfast and other urban centers. In Derry, Operation Carcan (or Car Can), initially proposed as a separate operation, was executed as part of Motorman.

Background

The Northern Ireland riots of August 1969 marked the onset of the conflict known as “the Troubles.” As a result, Northern Ireland’s two main cities, Belfast and Derry, became more segregated. Many neighborhoods became entirely Irish nationalist or entirely unionist. In some areas, residents and paramilitaries erected barricades to protect their neighborhoods from incursions by “the other side,” security forces, or both. These became known as “no-go areas.”

By the end of 1971, 29 barricades blocked access to what was known as Free Derry; 16 of them were impassable even to the British Army’s one-ton armored vehicles. Many nationalist no-go areas were controlled by one of the two factions of the Irish Republican Army, the Provisional IRA and Official IRA. On May 29, 1972, the Official IRA declared a ceasefire, pledging not to launch attacks except in self-defense.

On July 21, 1972, within 75 minutes, the Provisional IRA detonated 22 bombs in Belfast, killing eleven people (including two soldiers and a loyalist volunteer) and injuring 130. This attack prompted the British Government to initiate Operation Motorman just ten days later.

Preparations

Operation Motorman was the largest British military operation since the Suez Crisis of 1956 and the biggest in Ireland since the Irish War of Independence. In the days leading up to July 31, approximately 4,000 additional troops were deployed to Northern Ireland. Nearly 22,000 soldiers participated, including 27 infantry and two armored battalions, supported by 5,300 soldiers from the local Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR). Several Centurion AVRE demolition vehicles, derived from the Centurion tank and equipped with bulldozer blades, were used. These were the only heavy armored vehicles deployed operationally by the British Army in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The tanks were transported to Northern Ireland aboard the amphibious landing ship HMS Fearless and operated with their turrets turned to the rear and main guns covered by tarpaulins.

This rapid military buildup alerted the Provisional IRA and Official IRA to a major operation being planned. According to local MP Ivan Cooper and others, the IRA vacated Derry’s no-go areas the day before the operation.

Operation

The operation commenced around 4:00 a.m. on July 31 and lasted a few hours. In “no-go areas” like Free Derry, residents sounded sirens to alert others of the incursion. The British Army used bulldozers and Centurion AVREs to breach the barricades before flooding the no-go areas with troops in smaller, lighter armored vehicles. The Provisional IRA and Official IRA were not equipped for open battle against such a large force and did not attempt to hold their ground. Small-scale operations were conducted in other locations like Lurgan, Armagh, Coalisland, and Newry.

By the end of the day, Derry and Belfast had been cleared of no-go areas, but the Army remained cautious when operating in staunchly republican districts. Casement Park in Andersonstown, the main stadium of the Ulster GAA, was occupied by the 19th Regiment Royal Artillery; it was returned in 1973/4.

• Bloody Sunday Memorial - Bloody Sunday, sometimes referred to as the Bogside Massacre, occurred on January 30, 1972, in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland, when British soldiers shot 28 unarmed civilians during a protest march against internment. Fourteen people died: thirteen were killed outright, while another man died four months later due to his injuries. Many victims were shot while fleeing from the soldiers, and some were shot while trying to assist the wounded. Other protesters were injured by rubber bullets or batons, and two were run over by army vehicles. The march was organized by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA). The soldiers involved were members of the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment, also known as “1 Para.”

Two investigations were conducted by the British government. The Widgery Tribunal, held shortly after the incident, largely exonerated the soldiers and British authorities. It described the soldiers’ shooting as “bordering on the reckless” but accepted their claims that they fired at gunmen and bomb-throwers. The report was widely criticized as a “whitewash.” The Saville Inquiry, chaired by Lord Saville of Newdigate, was established in 1998 to reinvestigate the incident. After a 12-year inquiry, Saville’s report was released in 2010, concluding that the killings were both “unjustified” and “unjustifiable.” It found that all those shot were unarmed, posed no serious threat, and that no bombs were thrown. It also revealed that soldiers “knowingly put forward false accounts” to justify their actions. Upon the report’s publication, British Prime Minister David Cameron issued a formal apology on behalf of the United Kingdom. Following this, police launched a murder investigation into the killings.

Bloody Sunday was one of the most significant events of “the Troubles” because a large number of civilians were killed by state forces in full view of the public and the press. It was the highest number of people killed in a single shooting incident during the conflict. Bloody Sunday heightened Catholic and Irish nationalist hostility towards the British Army and intensified the conflict. Support for the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) increased, leading to a surge in recruitment, especially locally.

• The Derry Walls - Visit the Ancient City Walls and the Cannon! Derry is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in Ireland. The earliest historical references date back to the 6th century when a monastery was founded there by St Columba or Colmcille, a renowned saint from what is now County Donegal. However, people had been living in the area for thousands of years before that.

City walls

Bishops Street Gate

Derry is the only remaining completely intact walled city in Ireland and one of the finest examples of a walled city in Europe. The walls are the largest monument in State care in Northern Ireland and, as the last walled city to be built in Europe, stand as the most complete and spectacular.

The Walls were constructed between 1613 and 1619 by The Honourable The Irish Society as defenses for early 17th-century settlers from England and Scotland. The Walls, approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) in circumference, vary in height and width between 3.7 and 10.7 meters (12 and 35 feet), are completely intact, and form a walkway around the inner city. They offer a unique promenade to view the layout of the original town, which still preserves its Renaissance-style street plan. The four original gates to the Walled City are Bishop’s Gate, Ferryquay Gate, Butcher Gate, and Shipquay Gate. Three additional gates were added later: Magazine Gate, Castle Gate, and New Gate, making seven gates in total. Historic buildings within the walls include the Gothic cathedral of St Columb (1633), the Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall, and the courthouse.

Derry is one of the few cities in Europe that never saw its fortifications breached, withstanding several sieges, including the famous Siege of Derry in 1689, which lasted 105 days, hence the city’s nickname, The Maiden City.

The Siege of Derry was the first major event in the Williamite War in Ireland. The siege was preceded by an initial attempt against the town by Jacobite forces on December 7, 1688, which was thwarted when 13 apprentices shut the gates.
A walk around the walls in Derry~Londonderry reveals a splendid city rich in history, heritage, interest, and a vibrant cultural scene.

This is the only remaining completely walled city in Ireland and one of the finest examples of Walled Cities in Europe. The Walls were built during the period 1613-1618 by the honourable, the Irish Society as defenses for early seventeenth-century settlers from England and Scotland.

The Walls, approximately 1.5km in circumference, form a walkway around the inner city and provide a unique promenade to view the layout of the original town, which still preserves its Renaissance Style street plan to this day.

The four original gates to the Walled City are Bishop’s Gate, Ferryquay Gate, Butcher Gate, and Shipquay Gate. Three further gates were added - Magazine Gate, Castle Gate, and New Gate.

The Walls vary in width between 12 and 35 feet and are the most complete in Ireland and one of the finest examples in Europe of Walled Cities. The city boasts Europe’s largest collection of cannon with known origins. Many of them thundered in anger over the two seventeenth-century sieges. In 2005, the surviving 24 cannon were restored, and under expert supervision and often by hand, craftsmen cleared the barrels of centuries of debris, stripped off layers of paint and corrosion, and bathed, sponged, and waxed the cannon back to their former glory. The cannon are displayed throughout the City Walls, with the impressive Roaring Meg located on the double bastion.

• Guildhall - Derry’s original 17th-century Guildhall was situated in the Diamond area of the Walled City. Its name reflected the city’s founding by the City & Guilds of London. This building was destroyed by fire in Victorian times, and it was decided to transform the site of the former Guildhall into a city square. Construction of the new Guildhall began in 1887, and it was opened in July 1890. The new building was initially named “Victoria Hall,” reflecting the trend in the British Empire at the time to name landmarks after the reigning monarch. Other city landmarks named for Victoria include Victoria Market, Queen’s Quay, and Queen’s Street. The name “Victoria Hall” was discovered on foundation stones found during recent restoration works financed by Derry City Council. The reason for retaining the Guildhall name remains unclear. The City Hall was financed by The Honourable The Irish Society and cost £19,000. It was severely damaged by fire in Easter 1908, with only the clock tower surviving intact. The entire building was rebuilt and renovated after the fire and reopened in 1912.

During The Troubles, the Guildhall was the target of multiple terror attacks. The building was heavily damaged by two bombs in 1972 but was restored at a cost of £1.7m and reopened in 1977. On September 23, 1980, the Field Day Theatre Company presented its first production, the premiere of Brian Friel’s Translations, here.

• Peace Bridge - The Derry Peace Bridge over the River Foyle bridges a 400-year-old physical and political gap between two sides of a once bitterly divided community. Designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects in London and funded with £14 million by the European Regional Development Fund for Peace, it is an impressive and elegant piece of architecture. With two structural arms heading in opposite directions, symbolizing the unification of both communities from opposite sides of the Foyle River, the Protestant Waterside and the Nationalist Bogside, these two opposed and independent arms are now united in a symbolic handshake across the river. Opened in 2011, this 235-meter-long, 4-meter-wide curved footpath, track, and cycleway stretches from the Guild Hall in the city center of Derry City to Ebrington Square and St Columb’s Park on the far side of the River Foyle.
• Peace Flame - The Peace Flame, in conjunction with Dr. Martin Luther King and the end of the conflict in the north of Ireland.
• Tower Museum - The Tower Museum is a must-see visitor attraction. Permanent exhibitions at the museum include the Story of Derry and An Armada Shipwreck - La Trinidad Valencera. The museum also boasts the only open-air viewing facility in the heart of the city center with stunning panoramic views of the city and River Foyle.
  Temporary exhibitions are also displayed throughout the year, and a warm welcome awaits visitors from the team.
  The Tower Museum is also home to the Museum Service, which includes Education & Learning and the Archive & Genealogy Service.
  Price list: Adult - £4.00. Child Rate - £2.00. Concession Rate - £2.40.
• Museum of Free Derry - The Museum of Free Derry, located in Derry, Northern Ireland, focuses on the 1960s civil rights era known as The Troubles and the Free Derry Irish nationalist movement in the early 1970s. Situated in the Bogside district, the museum’s exhibits include photographs, posters, film footage, letters, and personal artifacts.
  The main signature project of the Bloody Sunday Trust remains the Museum of Free Derry. The Museum of Free Derry opened in 2007 to tell the story of what happened in the city during the period 1968 – 1972, popularly known as ‘Free Derry,’ including the civil rights era, Battle of the Bogside, Internment, Bloody Sunday, and Operation Motorman.

The story is told from the perspective of those most involved in and affected by these events – the Free Derry community, and the Museum is situated in the heart of where these events took place, in a once-derelict housing block in Glenfada Park, in the middle of what was the Bloody Sunday killing zone. Three men were shot and wounded outside this housing block, and two more - William McKinney and Jim Wray - were murdered there. Jim Wray was already lying on the ground, wounded and paralyzed by the first burst of fire, when a soldier from the 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment shot him twice in the back at point-blank range. Poignantly, he died just in front of his grandparents’ home. The museum’s story is told directly by people whose lives were changed by these events.

On Sunday, January 30, 1972, as an anti-internment march in Derry drew to an end, British paratroopers attacked the marchers, shooting dead 13 unarmed civilians, six of them still legally children, and wounding another 18, one of whom subsequently died. This marked the end of the civil rights campaign in Northern Ireland.

As the Report of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry (widely referred to as the Saville Report) acknowledged, it led directly to a massive upsurge of violence, death, and destruction, which did not come to an end until the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

WHY IT EXISTS
The Museum of Free Derry exists to remember and understand the local history of the city and its contribution to the groundbreaking civil rights struggle that erupted in Derry in the mid-1960s and culminated in the massacre on Bloody Sunday.

It places the Free Derry period into a broader Irish and international context so that visitors see the events depicted not just in relation to the communal conflict in the North or the conflict between Britain and Ireland. They are invited to make comparisons with the civil rights movement in the USA as well as other massacres such as Wounded Knee, Sharpeville, and Fallujah.

Our international commitment is underscored by our membership in the International Coalition of the Sites of Conscience. The Coalition is a global network of historic sites, museums, and memory initiatives connecting past struggles to today’s movements for human rights and social justice. It has over 185 members.

Our focus is not just to share our history but to encourage those who come to the Museum to see the struggle for human and civil rights as an ongoing contemporary undertaking.

• St. Columb’s Cathedral - History
  The original site of the diocesan cathedral was in Templmore (Irish: An Teampall Mór or “the Big Church”). Due to the violence of the Nine Years’ War, the church was destroyed. It was first damaged by an accidental explosion on April 24, 1568, the church having been appropriated for the storage of gunpowder. On April 16, 1600, Sir Henry Docwra entered Derry with a force of 4,000 soldiers. He tore down the ruins of the Big Church and used its stones to build the walls and ramparts of the city. A small square stone tablet from An Teampall Mór is today fixed into the porch of the present structure. The Latin inscription reads “In Templo Vervs Devs Est Verec Colendvs” (“The True God is in His Temple and is to be truly worshipped”).
  The present structure, located close to the original, was completed in 1633 by William Parrot, in the Planter’s Gothic style. Also in the porch is an inscription:
  If stones could speak
  then London’s praise
  should sound who
  built this church and
  city from the ground.
  St. Columb’s possesses many documents dating back from the Siege of Derry. They have portraits of William of Orange and the original keys of the city.
  The Cathedral also contains a memorial to Valentine Munbee McMaster VC.
  St Columb’s is the first cathedral to be built by the Anglican church after the Reformation in the British Isles and the first non-RC cathedral to be built in Western Europe
• Derry Girls Mural - See the World Famous Derry Girls Murals and capture a selfie for Facebook and Instagram!
• Grianan Of Aileach - Take a drive across the border into County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland, which is still part of the European Union, and visit The Grianán of Aileach, sometimes anglicized as Greenan Ely or, locally, as Greenan Fort. It is a hillfort atop the 244 meters (801 ft) high Greenan Mountain at Inishowen in County Donegal, Ireland. The main structure is a 19th-century reconstruction of a stone ringfort, thought to have been built by the Northern Uí Néill in the sixth or seventh century CE!
  You can see all of the Province of Ulster on a clear day, 9 of Ireland’s 32 Counties!
  Extra £60 paid directly to your tour guide, cash or card on the day.

• Private transportation
• Private Bloody Sunday Walking Tour
• Private minivan for flexible stops
• Personalized service and itinerary
• In-vehicle air conditioning
• Hassle-free round-trip transfer from your hotel
• Fully qualified professional local guide
• Insight into Derry’s history and culture
• Derry Girls Murals
• See Derry in 1 day
• Private guided tour of Derry City’s ancient walls
• Learn about the city’s former conflict
• Driver handles navigation
• Unique private tour

• Tip for your Guide Cash or Card!
• Upgrade to Top of The Range Luxury Mercedes Benz V-Class for £30(Where Available)
• Tower museum Derry Adult £4
• Add extra time to your tour from £80 per hour
• Pickup and drop back off from Cruise Ship Extra £25 each way paid directly to your Tour Guide Cash
• Visit Grianan of Aileach Across the Border in County Donegal Republic of Ireland Extra £60
• Admission fees
• Lunch

Experience a one-of-a-kind private tour with a local guide, complete with private transportation. This exclusive tour is not available through any other company in Northern Ireland. Enjoy a remarkable day exploring the stunning and historic County Derry/Londonderry! This tour is perfect for those who have previously visited Northern Ireland and are looking for something new.

Discover the history of the Battle of the Bogside, Operation Motorman, and Bloody Sunday. Your knowledgeable guide will lead you through the areas where these significant events occurred, including the site where thirteen civil rights marchers were tragically shot by British Army paratroopers. As a local historian and political activist, your guide will also provide a private tour of the ancient city walls, sharing insights about the siege and plantation. You’ll also explore politically charged murals and street art that depict various events related to the city and beyond, as well as the historic cannons scattered throughout the city.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.