The Derry, Ireland: A Holy City, A Symbol, A Flag

Derry is to one-fourth of Ireland a kind of holy city, a symbol, a flag, rather than a mere group of habitations. And although much that it has come to symbolise is distasteful to Ireland as a whole, yet no good Irishman will grudge Derry its peculiar pride, its honest fame.

Here we are in a stratum of history wholly different from any which has been illustrated by the towns so far studied. In Derry's history the Norman has no part. The place has very definite associations which go back to the early days of Christianity in Ireland; but nothing exists to link the earlier history with the later, except rock, earth, and water, the configuration of the ground, and enduring names that keep alive the memory of a great saint, a great man. A glance should be thrown backwards to those far-off beginnings of a common civic life on that isolated hillock by the Foyle, for these are the memories that unite.

Derry or Londonderry is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland[2][3] and the fourth-largest city on the island of Ireland.[4] The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Daire or Doire meaning "oak grove".[5][6] In 1613, the city was granted a Royal Charter by King James I and the "London" prefix was added, changing the name of the city to Londonderry. While the city is more usually known as Derry,[7][8] Londonderry is also 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 2012 Census, while the Derry Urban Area had a population of 105,066. The district is administered by Derry City Council and contains both Londonderry Port and City of Derry Airport.

The Greater Derry area, that area within about 20 miles (32 km) of the city, has a population of 237,000. This comprises the districts of Derry City and parts of Limavady district, Strabane district, and East Donegal (including Raphoe and St Johnston), along with Inishowen.

Derry is close to the border with County Donegal, with which it has had a close link for many centuries. The person traditionally seen as the 'founder' of the original Derry is Saint Colmcille, a holy man from Tír Chonaill, the old name for almost all of modern County Donegal (of which the west bank of the Foyle was a part before c. 1600). Derry and the nearby town of Letterkenny form the major economic core of north west Ireland.

Ireland Population Cities

Population and its Distribution

The population of Ireland remains essentially rural. The proportion living in rural regions, however, has now been reduced to two thirds, both through the growth of cities and through depopulation by emigration. This emigration has caused persons of Irish descent in the United States to far outnumber those in the home country. Many emigrants have also gone to Great Britain where large numbers have settled around Liverpool and Glasgow.

Cities

The principal towns of Ireland are all seaports depending upon trade. From Londonderry on the north to Cork in the south they face away from the main Atlantic. This is because the major part of Irish trade has always been with England and Scotland, and sometimes with France. Not only is the west coast very stormy, but also it is far from the parts of Ireland where the climate permits the largest population. Moreover, Ireland has had little in the way of goods that could be sold across the Atlantic. Ireland's new political independence, to be sure, is reflected in a perceptible increase of trade with foreign countries, but the economic relationship with England is too close to be much changed. For this reason the towns along the western coast, despite their splendid harbor facilities, remain small and show no sign of becoming important. Limerick at the mouth of the Shannon, Ireland's principal river, is the chief of these, along with Galway and Sligo.

On the east and southeast coast lie the three largest cities-Cork, Dublin, and Belfast--but Cork is small. Little Cork with its outport of Cobh, where several trans-Atlantic lines touch, is essentially Irish. Its trade is typical, butter and bacon being the chief exports. Cork is still primarily a commercial center, though manufacturing industries have been coming in of late.
Dublin, the Irish capital, with nearly half a million people, was originally an English settlement. The relatively dry climate has always been a great advantage agriculturally. Because of its location facing England, Dublin early became the main Irish harbor. Its advantages as an outlet of the productive central lowlands have been increased by canals connecting with the River Shannon. Hence it is not surprising that Dublin has long been the political and cultural center of Ireland. Its industries are based on domestic materials, notably brewing and distilling, both beer and whiskey being important export articles.

Belfast, of about the same size as Dublin, is the capital of Northern Ireland. It was originally a Scotch settlement and owes its growth largely to industrial enterprises. It is interesting to note that the principal manufacturing section of Ireland is the one with a foreign-that is, Scotch--population. The linen industry and ship-building have advanced Belfast from a small town to a great city. On a small scale, Londonderry, the most northern port, has also profited from the industrial development, besides being the commercial center of the northern region.