Athletes from around the globe descended on Derry to take part in the O’Neills Walled City Marathon 2019 in June.
More than 1,000 competitors embarked from the Everglades Hotel on a stunning 26.2 mile course that took in all the sights and sounds of the city.
They ran through an urban and rural odyssey of streets, parks and greenways, in and out of the Walled City to an iconic finish in a spectator-packed Guildhall Square.
O’Neills Foyle Cup returns to the city in July, with around 1,500 matches set to take place.
The tournament, which runs from July 22 to July 27, attracts interest from around the world, and has seen demand and quality increase each year.
The contest began in 1992 and was originally staged over one day, with eight teams taking part in an U14 and U16 event.
Now, top clubs in the UK and Republic of Ireland travel to Derry to compete as well as entrants from mainland Europe, North America, and even South Africa.
Derry’s world-famous Halloween celebrations have been named Best International Event Experience at the Northern Ireland Tourism Awards.
The ghoulish gathering, which had its most ambitious year ever in 2018 with a Return of the Ancients theme, beat tough competition from the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Experience and Odyssey International’s Leaders of Excellence.
Derry’s Bishop’s Gate Hotel was also a winner, earning the title of NI’s Best Hotel Stay.
Updates on the 2019 Derry Halloween celebrations, plus travel and accommodation information, will be posted on www.derryhalloween.com.
https://www.derrystrabane.com/Council/News/Derry-Halloween-scoops-prestigious-NI-Tourism-Awar
An exciting programme of events is underway to mark the 400th anniversary of the completion of Derry’s Walls.
From June to September, the historic Walls will be celebrated through dance, music, exhibitions, films, symposiums and much more.
One of the oldest and best-preserved fortifications in Europe, the Walls have witnessed centuries of dramatic and tragic events since the first stones were laid.
The special programme of activities marking this major milestone is led by Derry City and Strabane District Council and its partners The Honourable, The Irish Society – the original builders and owners of the Walls – and the Department for Communities Historic Environment Division.
The Walls 400 programme is also PEACE IV funded by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), and will introduce a series of animation activities and stories from characters who have helped shaped the city’s history, bringing to life the Walls alongside key shared spaces and heritage attractions.
For more information on the Walled City 400 events programme, visit
From the late 1600s, in the age of the sailing ships, to the onset of the Second World War in 1939, when the last transatlantic steamer sailed from the port, Derry was one of the principal emigration ports in Ireland.
From 1680 to 1860, Derry was the port of departure for the people of Derry, Donegal and Tyrone. With the development of steamships and railways from 1861 to 1939, migrants from Ulster, north Connacht and north Leinster left Ireland through Derry.
In 1883, emigrant departures from Derry exceeded the number that went through the port in the peak famine year of 1847 (12,385); when 15,217 emigrants boarded 154 steamers calling at Moville, with 10,496 destined for the United States and 4,721 for Canada.
Annual Emigration Reports from the Port of Londonderry published in the Londonderry Sentinel show that between 1877 and 1897, 193,887 passengers embarked at Moville for North America; with 153,886 destined for USA and 40,001 to Canada.
The journey for 9 million of the Irish Diaspora, now living in Great Britain, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, began in Derry. Their ancestors boarded a sailing ship at Shipquay Place, or stopped at Gweedore Bar, Waterloo Street, on their way from west Donegal to Glasgow on the Scotch Boat. They may have lodged in Bridge Street and then headed down the Foyle, on a tender, to connect with transatlantic liners at Moville.
Derry remained a major Irish emigration port throughout all significant periods of emigration from Ireland, including the 18th century outflow of Ulster-Scots to colonial America; pre-Famine, Famine and post-Famine emigration to North America; and cross-channel migration to Britain via Glasgow and Liverpool.
Just as Ellis Island is seen as the entry point for American immigrants (100 million Americans can trace an ancestor back to Ellis Island), Derry can be positioned as the starting point of this journey.
Bernadette Walsh, Archivist
bernadete.walsh@derrystrabane.com
Brian Mitchell, Genealogy
Whether you’re based abroad and want to connect with your Irish roots, or living locally and keen to find out more about your ancestry, the Archive and Genealogy service at Derry’s Tower Museum can assist.
Staffed by a professional Archivist and Genealogist, the department collects, researches, curates and interprets historical collections for visitors. The vast archive collections include records of major shipping lines like the McCorkell and Mitchell families, and minute books of Londonderry Corporation.
The database of Derry Genealogy, at www.derry.rootsireland.ie, is an essential tool for anyone researching ancestors. It contains the bulk of pre-1922 civil birth and marriage registers for the city and county of Derry, the early baptismal and marriage registers of 97 churches, headstone inscriptions from 118 graveyards, and census substitutes and census returns dating from 1628 to 1921.
Appointments can be made with staff, who are also available to deliver information sessions for groups. While staff do not carry out research for visitors, they can advise how to use and access collections, and how to navigate the online databases.
Financial services company FinTrU has launched a #WalledCityOnWallStreet campaign giving local talent the chance to train with its Assured Skills Academy.
Graduates who successfully complete the six-week training programme are guaranteed a job interview with the award-winning company, which works on a global stage with international investment banks.
Applications for the latest academy have now closed, but candidates can keep informed of when the next recruitment period opens by signing up for the Graduate Academy newsletter.
To date, FinTru has employed around 215 people who have attended the academy, which is funded by the Department for the Economy. Last year, the company announced plans for 605 new jobs (300 in Belfast and 305 in the North West) over the next five years.
Leah McStravick, FinTrU Academy Manager, said: “This was our third Assured Skills Academy in the North West as we look to build on the success of our academies to date in Derry/Londonderry and Belfast. The six-week course at North West Regional College provides participants with real world skills in fields including compliance, risk, legal, operations, KYC and consultancy.”
As part of the #WalledCityOnWallStreet campaign, FinTrU is currently recruiting for Client Onboarding KYC Specialists and Senior Client Onboarding KYC Specialists in its North West Office. See more at
https://www.fintru.com/careersA £105m government investment package has been hailed as a “significant catalyst for change and economic growth” for Derry City and Strabane District and the wider North West.
The funding, which comprises of a £50m City Deal and a £55m Inclusive Future Fund, will help progress plans for a landmark riverfront university medical education and innovation hub, and advance the delivery of smart city and digital infrastructure projects.
It’s hoped that the £105m will be at least matched by the NI Executive and will lead to further investment from project partners and other third party sources, resulting in an overall injection of over £300m.
Council Chief Executive John Kelpie said: “This funding package, if directed at the key agreed strategic growth projects and if used to lever significant further public and private sector investment, will deliver a new era of unprecedented growth and development for the City and Region providing tangible benefits for all of our citizens and a promising future for our children and young people.”
https://www.derrystrabane.com/Council/News/Significant-City-Deal-and-Economic-Growth-Funding-
A delegation from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has visited the city and district to identify potentiation cooperation between the two regions in enterprise, education and policy exchange.
Outgoing Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Cllr John Boyle welcomed the group, which was led by Vice-Governor Bao Gang and the Chinese Consul General Mme Zhang.
The Mayor said it was a huge privilege to meet the representatives and expand on the strong working relationship between the Council and China.
He added: “Derry City and Strabane District Council has an existing agreement with Dalian, Liaoning Province and today’s meeting was a fantastic opportunity to further develop and promote the economic benefit and cooperation with the North East of China.”
http://www.derrystrabane.com/Council/News/Mayor-meets-with-delegation-from-Inner-Mongolia-Au
Two local brewing companies who travelled to the United States to meet key industry influencers have hailed the trip as a huge success.
Baronscourt Brewing Company and The Muff Liquor Company attended Philadelphia’s In Good Spirits craft drinks event in May to showcase their award-winning products, and highlight the quality of the North West’s food and drink offering.
They also gained an insight into the American beverage industry, and received advice on how to bring their products to market in the United States.
John Wauchob of Baronscourt Brewing Company and Niall McColgan from the Muff Liquor Company were part of an Ireland Northwest delegation with Derry City and Strabane District Council and Donegal County Council.
Niall said the visit helped explain how to enter the market in terms of financial support, insurance and legal considerations and branding.
He added: “Irish spirits are very much on trend now and this was a great opportunity for us to put our products in front of a new market.”
Further trade missions are scheduled to Boston and Philadelphia in November, when both Councils will be supporting a range of local companies to assess their readiness to export and gear up to target and explore new business opportunities.
https://www.derrystrabane.com/Council/News/Local-companies-say-trade-mission-key-to-tapping-i
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