Guildhall, Derry

Coordinates: 54°59′53″N 7°19′12″W / 54.998°N 7.320°W / 54.998; -7.320

The Guildhall in Derry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, is a building in which the elected members of Derry City Council meet. It was built in 1890.

Overview

The Guildhall houses a large hall where many events of social and political nature have been held. It has been home to the Feis Doire Colmcille – an event which celebrates Irish culture – and the now-discontinued Londonderry Feis. It was also home to the Saville Inquiry into the events of Bloody Sunday 30 January 1972 in Derry.

History

Derry's original 17th-century Guildhall was located in the Diamond area of the Walled City. Its name reflected the status of Londonderry as being founded by the City & Guilds of London. This building was destroyed by fire in Victorian times and it was decided to turn the site of the former Guildhall into a city square. Work started on the new Guildhall in 1887 and it was opened in July 1890. The new building was originally titled "Victoria Hall", reflecting the wider vogue in the British Empire at that time to name landmarks after the reigning monarch. Other landmarks in the city named for Victoria include Victoria Market, the 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 is presently unclear. The City Hall was financed by The Honourable The Irish Society and cost £19,000. It was badly damaged by fire in Easter 1908 with only the clock tower surviving the fire intact. The whole building was re-built and renovated after the fire and re-opened in 1912.

Derry

Coordinates: 54°59′45″N 7°18′27″W / 54.9958°N 7.3074°W / 54.9958; -7.3074

Derry (/ˈdɛrɪ/), officially Londonderry (/ˈlʌndənˌdɛrɪ/), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Daire or Doire meaning "oak grove". In 1613, the city was granted a Royal Charter by King James I and gained the "London" prefix to reflect the funding of its construction by the London guilds. While the city is more usually known colloquially as Derry, Londonderry is also commonly used and remains the legal name.

The old walled city lies on the west bank of the River Foyle, which is spanned by two road bridges and one footbridge. The city now covers both banks (Cityside on the west and Waterside on the east). The city district also extends to rural areas to the southeast. The population of the city proper (the area defined by its 17th century charter) was 83,652 in the 2001 Census, while the Derry Urban Area had a population of 90,736. The district is administered by Derry City & Strabane District Council and contains both Londonderry Port and City of Derry Airport.

Derry City Council

Derry City Council (Irish: Comhairle Cathrach Dhoire; Ulster-Scots: Derry Cittie Cooncil) was the local government authority for the city of Derry in Northern Ireland. It merged with Strabane District Council in April 2015 under local government reorganisation to become Derry and Strabane District Council.

The council provided services to nearly 108,000 people, making it the third-largest of the then 26 district councils in Northern Ireland by population. The council was made up of 30 councillors, elected every four years from five electoral areas and held its meetings in The Guildhall. The mayor for the final 2014-2015 term was Brenda Stevenson of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, with Gary Middleton of the Democratic Unionist Party serving as deputy mayor.

History

The council took its final name in 1984. It was known as Londonderry City Council from 1973 until 1984, and before that Londonderry County Borough (covering the city of Derry) and Londonderry Rural District (covering the rural area around Derry, roughly corresponding to the Barony of Tirkeeran). Between 1969 and 1973 both were administered by the unelected Londonderry Development Commission with the aim of creating a "new town".

Derry (disambiguation)

Derry is a city in Northern Ireland.

Derry may also refer to:

Places

Places connected to the city

Elsewhere in Ireland