The Walled City of Derry

Opening of Ebrington – Make a date with your City

On February 14th 2012, Ebrington will be opened to the public (the former Parade Ground now linked to the city side by the Peace Bridge). The night time event will start at 6pm until 10pm with a full programme of activities including lighting and projection shows, live music, street performers, public art and more.  There will also be a love chapel for the romantics out there and a costume photo booth!

The opening of Ebrington is a significant milestone for the city, opening the largest urban space which measures over 5 acres (larger than Trafalgar Square and Donegall Square).  As the opening is on Valentine’s Day, Ilex is inviting everyone to share what they love about their city - a moment, a memory or hopes for the future.

Entry to the event is free. For further information about the event, please visit www.ilex-urc.com or contact Orla Rafferty at orla.rafferty@ilex-urc.com .

 

ni2012: our time our place

2012.  It’s here and it’s going to be amazing.

This is the year we take centre stage with new, iconic visitor attractions, unprecedented events and historic anniversaries.  Whether it’s music, theatre, festivals, comedy, ships or show tunes, there’s going to be something to tickle everyone’s fancy.

The North West will play a major part in the celebrations of 2012, by hosting key events such as:

Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and Maritime Homecoming Festival

Peace One Day Concert

Peace Camp by Deborah Warner

For further information on these events and all other key events happening throughout Northern Ireland in 2012, please go to www.ni2012.com

This is Our Time.  This is Our Place.

 

City of Culture gets ready for the world to arrive with one year to go

The opening event of Derry~Londonderry's City of Culture year will be a massive 'Sons and Daughters' opening concert on January 12, 2013, it was announced today.

The event, which will feature all the city's top names from stage and screen, will be hosted at a new purpose-built demountable pavilion at Ebrington.

To mark the occasion - and the formal countdown to our year as the first UK City of Culture - the Mayor Maurice Devenney and Cultural Champion Gerry Anderson launched a landmark Countdown Calendar on the Live Site on Waterloo Place.

The team at Culture Company 2013 have confirmed that preparations for the year of culture are on track, and the city's vision, to provide cultural access for all and creatively connect with the wider world leaving a lasting legacy, is set to become a reality.  Please click here to read more.

 

The Walled City of Derry

The Walled City of Derry is one of five key signature projects situated within Northern Ireland.  Being driven by NITB, the signature project aims to transform Londonderry, and its walled environs, into a world-class, must-see, visitor destination. 

The tourism offering in the city has progressed in recent years, with work being carried out on projects such as the refurbishment of the Tower Museum and development of the Museum of Free Derry; new signage and interpretation around the city walls; city centre environmental improvements in Guildhall Square and Waterloo Place; the preservation of key buildings such as the Playhouse Theatre, First Derry Presbyterian Church, and Saint Columb’s Cathedral; and emphasis being placed on the city’s cultural scene, with the roll-out of a Business and Cultural Animation programme, as well as exhibitions being put in place at the Nerve Centre, Verbal Arts Centre and the Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall. 

The cultural scene in Derry~Londonderry is buzzing at the minute.  Having always had a reknowned music and cultural scene, this was raised to a new level, when in July 2010, it was announced that the city will host the first ever UK City of Culture in 2013.  If this wasn’t exciting enough, it was then announced a short time after, that the city will also be a host port in the final leg of the Around the World Clipper Yacht Race in July 2012.  Being a city with a rich maritime heritage, this is something the city is really proud off.

However the work doesn’t stop here.  In recent weeks, the city has witnessed the opening of the Peace Bridge - a new walk and cycle bridge across the River Foyle, linking the ancient Walled City to the historic Star Fort at Ebrington.  The Ebrington site itself will be transformed into a major cultural hub consisting of a huge outdoor performance plaza with a 14,000 capacity and also home to a number of museums and galleries.

Over the next two years, outstanding work on the Built Heritage programme will be completed with the re-development of the Aras Colmcille complex, the Guildhall, and the Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall.  This will also be complemented by a world class lighting scheme, which will illuminate the city walls, Craigavon Bridge and the Built Heritage sites.

 

Derry~Londonderry:  UK City of Culture for 2013

Derry~Londonderry has made history after winning its bid to be the first ever UK City of Culture in 2013. The momentous win means that in 2013 Derry~Londonderry will play host to a year-long celebration of culture in the city, opening its doors to visitors from across the world.  It is anticipated that people will come in their thousands to experience the cultural life that has been at Derry's heart for generations.  For more information, please visit our City of Culture page.

 

Slí Cholmcille

St Columba Trail / Slighe Chaluim Chille

Discover the story of Colmcille (also known as St Columba) – at www.colmcille.org .  The website traces the route of Colmcille, the Irish Saint who departed Derry for the Scottish Island of Iona, where he established a Monastery before spreading the word of Christianity to other parts of Scotland and Ireland.

The Trial starts in the Gleann Cholm Cille Valley in County Donegal and ends in Scotland in the Outer Hebrides.  The Trial will take you to all the key areas Colmcille and his followers visited or had associations with including Derry~Londonderry.