Londonderry Co Londonderry As A City
Londonderry - Co. Londonderry is one of the biggest cities in Ireland, second only to Dublin. It is often just called "Derry." It spreads wide, the area being both a city in the center and then rural land out by the edges. This port city is walled all the way around with two main bridges helping to connect it to other areas nearby.
It has almost two hundred and fifty thousand people as residents, though they are not tightly compacted. Its high population derives from early history where the area was a sacred oak grove. Derry is a modern translation of the old Irish word for oak. The London part of the name came in the seventeenth century when London guilds saw the significance of Derry and forced themselves upon the town, also forcing their name.
The city walls are a huge tourist attraction. It is the only official walled city left in Ireland, since other places do not have complete walls or their walls have fallen into disrepair over time. It is one of the few places in Europe to be walled, too, and is a fine example of what a wall is supposed to do. The structure is four hundred years old and lasted completely unbreached, protecting the Irish from Scottish and English invasion and siege.
Christian focus in Ireland was centered in Londonderry. It was a good central point for a monastery to be built, allowing Christian settlers to spread out from there and convert the pagans. Though a bulk of the conversion was due to Saint Patrick, this monastery helped. Not all requests to conform were met with the same degree of acceptance.
Failed attempts include making the whole area a giant plantation for the English monarchy. This spurned a series of rebellions and wars which lasted for centuries. Eventually when countries and factions stopped warring with each other for long enough, the town was rebuilt. It because a place of sanctuary for those looking for relief from the Potato Famine, since Londonderry was not hit very hard.
Recent problems include the ever-present battle between Catholics and Protestants. Few cities can escape the instances of prejudice and fighting that happens between the two sects. One thing that has not helped anyone's anxiety is the large prospect of unemployment.
The unemployment rate started back in the early nineteenth century. Many women found work at a local shirt factory while more men continued to lose their jobs. It is one of the few places in this historical time where women were more readily employed and had far bigger numbers in the labor force.
