Bogside, Londonderry, Ireland

Tonight, I am reporting on the Bogside district which lies outside the city walls of Derry in Northern Ireland.

The large gable-wall murals by the Bogside Artists, Free Derry Corner and the Gasyard Feile (an annual music and arts festival held in a former gasyard) are popular tourist attractions. The Bogside is a majority Catholic/Irish Republican area which shares a border with the Protestant/Ulster loyalist enclave of the Fountain.

Thew area became a catalyst for a long period of discontent known as the Troubles.For a period between 1969 and 1972 the Bogside became a no-go area for the British Army and local police.This culminated in Bloody Sunday on January 30th 1972 when 26 unarmed civilians engaged on a protest march were shot dead by British soldiers..

A peace agreement was signed in Belfast on April 10th 1998 which resulted in a largely peaceful conclusion to the long-running tensions in Northern Ireland. 

Peace Bridge, Londonderry


Wall Mural


Wall Mural


Bloody Sunday Memorial


Historic cannon pointing towards the Bogside.

Video clip of the Bogside

 

Generally speaking the 1998 peace agreement is holding. The Bogside is now open to visitors with organised walking tours available.

 

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