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Follow link below to find out more about my Embrace a Giant Spirit branded "Blue Plaques of the Maiden City" Walking Tour product.
I am pleased to offer to individuals,couples,families or small groups of 10 or less, a range of two hour private historical walking tours of Derry/Londonderry.
These tours offer a private tour experience for you and your group, as a socially distanced alternative to larger public tour groups.
Prices are per tour.
For more detail about the range, (which can be booked directly through Derrie Danders 'own booking platform), please follow the link below.
I am also able to design bespoke walking tours (and day trips excluding transport) to include a number of add-on visits both within and outside the city.
These are available either through the Toursbylocals.com platform or directly through me.
Please also look at the Historical Tours "coming soon " for some additional topics that could be covered in customised tours.
Prices are negotiable.
Do you require a flexible alternative to walking tours due to your schedule or are you concerned about being in groups ?
I have a range of walking tours of the city available through the VoiceMap App platform.
- Highlights of the Walled City (City Centre)
- A Waterside Wander (East of the City)
- A Riverside and South City Ramble
- A Guide to the Quayside and North City
- Cityside, Bogside and the Walled City's West
5 Tour Bundle - Discover the Walled City with Derrie Danders
LINK TO RADIO FOYLE INTERVIEW
It is also possible to book individual places on my shared public tours marketed through the Online Travel Agents Viator (Trip Advisor) and Airbnb Experiences.
Please follow the link below to the Viator website.
A similar product range is available through Airbnb Experiences.
Prices are per person, with bulk group discount options.
I will also plan to offer some Evening and/or Saturday public tours costing £20 per person with discounts for multiple person bookings.. These will be advertised on the Derrie Danders Facebook Events page.
In addition to the range of audio tours above, which can also be used remotely to visit the city, I also have recorded a number of videos available on my YouTube Channel.
I am also available to speak to groups and organisations through Zoom or other Virtual Platforms.
OTHER VIRTUAL EXPERIENCES - COMING SOON
I am pleased to confirm that my tours meet all the relevant COVID-19 Safety Protocols
I am pleased to offer my guests use of a whispering microphone system for their tours. Sanitised Headsets and Headphones will be provided but guests may prefer to bring their own headphones with the standard jack (not bluetooth). Connection to loop hearing aid type devices are also available.
A young person's treasure hunt has been developed and is available for the Walk in the Footsteps of History Tour ( grateful thanks to the Friends of the Derry Walls for their kind assistance)
I am pleased to offer for sale as an accompaniment to your tour, this great little book "A Walk around the Walled City with Richard Doherty and Tim Webster" for £5.00, either purchased in advance through my booking site or available for collection after your tour.
We are steadily developing our contacts with other local tourist organisations and providers, and will continue to work as part of a connected and collaborative network for the benefit of visitors to the area.
Tours are currently only available in English
The "Embrace a Giant Spirit" brand is a collection of new and unique experiences in Northern Ireland, supported by Tourism Northern Ireland.
I am pleased that my Blue Plaques of the Maiden City has recently been accepted within this programme.
In this tour, we visit a number of the blue and other commemorative plaques located around the cities. The tour focuses on literature,music and other cultural activities, and the impact these people made not just within the city, but throughout the world.
The tour normally lasts 2 hours and guests would make their way from the start point near the Peace Tree in Ebrington Square, over the Peace Bridge into the city centre, and then in a circular route in and around the 400 year old Walls before finishing near the Visit Derry Information Centre in Waterloo Place.
There is also an extended version of the tour available which lasts approx 3 and a half hours including a refreshment break, that would cover an additional seven blue plaques in the wider city area. This is treated as a custom designed tour.
Alternatively this extended section could be made available as a custom designed stand alone tour too.
The start point for this tour is beside the Peace Tree sculpture on Browning Drive near Ebrington Square.
There is a surface car park for Ebrington Square approx 50 yards from the Peace Tree.
If you are coming by train, turn left at the exit and walk along the Greenway for approx 10 minutes until you reach the Peace Bridge. Then enter the Square, and after 300 metres keeping the Stables Inn on your left, walk to the Peace Tree.
If you are in City Centre, cross the Peace Bridge and follow earlier directions as per Train station.
The tour ends adjacent to the Visit Derry Visitor Information Centre, which is a convenient location to find out more information about places to see in the city and also get refreshments.
The most convenient way to book for a private group of up to 10 people is by following the link below. Cost is £125 per tour.
If you have a larger group or wish to discuss a custom designed tour, then leave a message on the webform further down this webpage. Cost to be negotiated.
To explore many of the musical connections of this LegenDerry city. In this tour I talk about "all kinds" of every genre of music from "the town I have loved so well."
Artists featured include Phil Coulter,Dana,Peter Cunnah, The Undertones, Josef Locke,Percy French,Willie Loughlin, and so many more.
The duration of the tour is normally 2 hours and it starts and finishes at the Visit Derry Visitor Information Centre in Waterloo Place.
Current Cost £125 per 2 hour group tour.
An extended version of the tour will soon be available that covers a wider area of the city, and a themed refreshment stop. More details to follow.
To accompany the tour, I have a created a Spotify playlist and I would invite my guests to listen to this before and after my walking tour.
In this 2 hour tour, we walk around the 400 year old Walls of Derry/Londonderry which are approx 1 mile in circumference, and during our walk, we cover the city's history from medieval times to the current day.
While this tour is designed for first time visitors as an introduction to the city, it is also of interest to returning visitors who want to know more about the wider history of the city.
PROMO VIDEO
CURRENT COST £100 per Group Tour
To cover in more detail the history of the Scots who settled in Ulster, their role in the city and throughout the province and the island of Ireland, and their emigration to the New World and in particular their subsequent role in the formation of the United States.
This tour may be of particular interest to those interested in genealogy, and retracing their Ulster and Irish roots
CURRENT COST £125 per Group Tour
To cover many of the sites of the Famous Siege in 1688/89 in detail and explain their historical significance, as well as other lesser known sieges and battles in the city's history, ancient and modern.
This tour is currently only available in August to tie in with the Relief of Derry Celebrations usually held the second saturday of August, or as part of a custom designed tour.
CURRENT COST - £125 per Group Tour
See the city and its historic buildings illuminated on a shortened 75 minute walking tour of a section of the Walls
AVAILABLE BY NEGOTIATION
To consider the life of some of the clerical characters from the city, and in particular the famous Earl Bishop, while visiting the external sites (and if possible internal visits) of some of the important churches in the city centre.
COMING SOON
Either on a stand alone basis, or as an added option to the Churches and Clerical Characters/(Earl Bishop City Tour), enjoy a 1 or 2 hour tour around Downhill Demesne, one of the Bishop's famous residences.
An additional entrance fee will be payable to the National Trust for non-members
COMING SOON
Welcome to the historic city of Derry – or Londonderry, depending on who you ask. Ours is a city rich in complex history, and filled with locals who’ll invite you to stay and "enjoy the craic".
This introductory tour takes you on a full circuit of the city's 400 year old walls. I’ll point out many of the famous historical and cultural sights en route and suggest places to return to for longer visits.
You may know a bit about the city from the recent comedy series Derry Girls, and we’ll visit the popular mural dedicated to the show. But on this tour you’ll also hear about:
• The city's saint, St Columba / Colmcille, who first established his monastery here in 542 AD
• The great Siege of Derry in 1688 and 1689
• The Troubles, which were a part of life here from 1969 to 1994
• The city's role in the second world war and the Battle of the Atlantic
• Immigration during the Plantation of Ulster
• Emigration during the Irish Potato Famine, or Great Famine, from 1845 to 1849
I invite you to join me in a “dander” around the Derry Walls, and this ancient but exciting part of the city. (“Dander” means a walk in the local dialect.)
PREVIEW VIDEO
Take in the sites of this historic city on a walk across the iconic Peace Bridge to the Waterside, on the east bank of the River Foyle. We’ll hear about the military past of the area around Ebrington Square, and then continue on through the beautiful grounds of St Columb's Park. We’ll end the tour by making our way to the old railway station through the area of my childhood home in Bonds Street.
On this walking tour, you’ll see and hear about:
• The city's saint, St Columba who established his monastery here in 542 AD. (St Columba is also sometimes called St Colmcille.)
• The city's oldest building, St Brecan's Church, which is in the grounds of the beautiful St Columb's Park
• The Siege of Derry that took place near Stronge's Orchard in 1688/1689
• The military and naval barracks at Ebrington
• The city's role in the second world war and the Battle of the Atlantic from 1939 to 1945
• The modern sculpture of the Peace Tree
Join me as we take a wander around the squares, streets and parks of the Waterside, and see the wider city of Derry/Londonderry.
PREVIEW VIDEO
Welcome to the historic city of Derry / Londonderry, and to this walking tour focused on the city’s maritime and industrial heritage. We’ll ramble along the River Foyle from the Peace Bridge to the Craigavon Bridge, before returning to our starting point with a stroll through the city. You’ll see the spot where Scottish settlers left for America and, a little further up the river, the spot where the city’s patron saint Columba left for Scotland. Along the way, you’ll learn how bridges, railways and shirt factories were built as the city came into the industrial age, the role of the city in World War II, and where divided communities still live on either side of the walls that are now called peace lines. On this tour you’ll also see:
• HMS Ferret, the port where the WWII naval ships that protected convoys and hunted German U-boats were berthed
• The parts of the city that were industrialised first, including what were the world’s largest ship factories in the 1800s
• Some of the city’s most important churches
• The iconic “Hands Across the Divide” sculpture on Craigavon Bridge
• The location of the world’s first independent department store
PREVIEW VIDEO
This self-guided audio walking tour focuses on pivotal moments in the city's history, including its emergence as a shipbuilding hub, emigration to North America to escape the Irish Potato Famine, and the role of its port during World War II. We’ll start near the Peace Bridge and walk along the River Foyle to the quayside emigration sculptures, before looping back to our starting point.
Along the way, you’ll also see:
• Foyle Marina, which is the base for the Foyle Festival and the biennial Clipper Round the World Yacht Race
• The campus of Magee College, which dates back to 1865
• Shirt factories that shaped modern business
PREVIEW VIDEO
On this walking tour, we’ll visit several locations in the west side of the city, including an area called the Bogside, sometimes described as the cockpit of ‘the Troubles’. We’ll peruse popular murals like The Petrol Bomber, Bernadette, and the Bloody Sunday collection and, in a politically neutral way, cover some of the other sites that define the area. Fellow tour guide, Mr Terry Brown of Walled City Tours, will join us to share his perspective at some of the locations along the way. You’ll also hear stories about:
• St Columba and how the sacred well was formed
• The murals, monuments and memorials dedicated to the Troubles
• A Victorian-era garden of tranquility in the city centre
• The revival of the ancient languages of the natives and the planters
• Derry pigs and what made them so happy
PREVIEW VIDEO
In this series of five tours, local guide David Douglas from Derrie Danders Walking Tours, takes you on a series of walks all starting from the conveniently located Visitor Information Centre on Waterloo Place. The city is fairly compact and easy to navigate on foot. You will discover the historic 400 year Walled City centre and the story of the plantation of Ulster and the Great Siege of Derry (1688/89). Take a visit to the Waterside (East Bank of the city) and learn about its naval (in particular the Second World War), military and railway history. Go south and ramble along the riverside and learn more about the city’s maritime, ulster scots emigration and industrial heritage (shirt factories). Turn north and walk the quayside and learn more about shipbuilding, famine emigration and education. Then finally go west and explore sacred sites (St Columba), and murals and memorials from the more recent period of the Troubles and the resulting peace process.
PREVIEW VIDEO
As part of your tour, (with advance notice to the Cathedral staff), we can arrange a visit to the historic St Columb's Cathedral, the oldest building in the city. The visit will normally include a short video presentation of the history of the Cathedral and then a walk around the building itself, which is the resting place of Col Henry Baker and Capt Micaiah Browning, 2 heroes of the siege. The visit will conclude in the Chapter House Museum with a closer look at some of the items on display. Please allow approx 40 minutes for this visit. Please remember that this is a working church so visits may not be available if events or special services such as weddings or funerals are taking place.
Free Admission - A suggested minimum donation of £2 per person is requested to Cathedral Funds for Group Tours.
Highlights include:
First Edition of King James Bible
Silverware inc Promise Chalice
First Edition Accounts of the Siege
Historic Baptismal Records
Artefacts of the Siege
Artefacts of Bishop Hervey
Artefacts of Mrs C.F. Alexander
War Memorial Miniatures
As part of your tour, we normally visit the publicly accessible areas of the Guildhall. It has been one of the city's most recognisable landmarks since 1890. As well as being home to the Council chamber, and the Mayor's Parlour, it is a visitors destination in its own right.There is also a cafe located within the building and accessible toilets on ground and first floor. However, as it is a public building, it is regularly used for functions and some or all of its rooms may be unavailable to visit due to events taking place or being set up.
Special Features include:
Magnificent stained glass windows which tell the story of key events in the city's history.
An exhibition exploring the Plantation of Ulster with interactive displays.
Main hall with 1891 dated organ, one of largest in Ireland.
Time Capsule.
Free admission
The Guildhall staff may offer a more detailed guided tour of the building to groups at a cost, though advance booking is not possible . Please allow approx 60 mins for the full tour (if available). £2 fee per individual required for group guided tour
The Tower Museum, located in the replica 16th century O'Doherty Tower,houses 2 permanent exhibitions, the Story of Derry and the An Armada Shipwreck.
The Story of Derry shares the story of the city from early settlement,through the plantation,the growth of 18th and 19th centuries up to the modern day.
The An Armada Shipwreck - explores the story of La Trinidad Valencia, one of the largest ships in the Spanish Armada fleet which sank in Kinnegoe Bay, Co.Donegal in 1588. Artefacts including cannons recovered by the City of Derry Sub Aqua Club are on display.
Admission Fee required.
I am pleased to advise that I have negotiated a group discount rate for all customers on my tours.
The present building dates from 1872. It is a very ancient church and the most likely site of St. Columba's monastery founded 546 AD.
It was subsequently taken over by the Augustinian order.
From 1600, the Church, was used by the first settlers or planters and the cannonball containing the terms for surrender during the Siege 1688/1689 fell in the church graveyard.
The present building was consecrated by Bishop William Alexander, husband of the famous hymn writer, Cecil Frances Alexander.There are also many famous graves in the graveyard.
Free Admission - Donations Appreciated
The Blue Coat School Heritage Centre, situated adjacent to First Derry Presbyterian Church (entrance on right of Church), tells the story of how Presbyterians arrived in this area.
Presbyterians have worshipped in the City since the early 1600s, and the first Church on this site was built in 1690. It was the first Presbyterian Church in the City and is still the only Presbyterian Church within the City Walls.The 1690 Church was replaced by the present building in 1780, with the Dungiven sandstone vestibule added in 1820, and the portico & the four fluted columns with corinthian capitals in 1902 and again more recently restored in 2011.
Free Admission - Donations Appreciated
As part of your walking tour, we can take a diversion from the Walls and visit the Playhouse.The Playhouse is actually 2 buildings, and these were saved in 1990, by its founder Pauline Ross, bought for only £300, and a large restoration project ensued. It incorporates an 192 seater theatre gallery,and is also home to several resident theatre and dance companies, as well as being a busy community used resource centre for the arts and crafts.The public areas are usually always accessible, but by prior arrangement with the Playhouse staff, it may be possible to visit other interesting areas of the building, if not being used. The Playhouse on Artillery Street is linked by a courtyard to the old Sisters of Mercy Convent in Pump Street, which was originally built as the Kings Arms Hotel in 1780 for the Grand Jury. In 1840 the Kings Arms was put up for sale and was purchased by a Thomas Doherty of Muff for £1,210 acting on behalf of the Catholic Bishop. This was the original site of 4 schools including Thornhill and St Columb's Colleges.Please allow between 10 -20 minutes for this visit, depending on what areas are available for access.Free Admission
The current Long Tower Church dates from 1909,after it was extended through the leadership of Fr Willie Doherty.The original building opened in 1788, and was paid for by both Catholics and Protestants. It is believed to be located close to the Teampall Mor,built in 1164, which was the city's medieval cathedral accidentally destroyed by gunpowder stored by the army garrisoned in the city.The Church is beautifully decorated with stained glass and mosaics and floor inscriptions linking to St Columba.Outside the church is a ballum stone, set into a wall below a calvary scene, which had been moved from its original location beside the nearby St Columba's Well.Please remember that this is a working church so visits may not be available if events or special services such as weddings or funerals are taking place. The Saint Columba’s Heritage Centre (Aras Cholmcille) is located in the restored listed school building in the grounds of the Long Tower Church. The Saint Columba’s National School, known affectionately locally as the “Wee Nuns’ School”, dates from 1813 and after major restoration provides the city with a centre to promote the heritage and history of Saint Columba, the city’s founding father.The Heritage Centre exhibition offers a bespoke, interactive experience, that includes a facsimile of the Book of Kells, as well as items and objects relating to the 200 year history of the building.Please allow approx 60 minutes for this visit, including visit to the Church. £3 Admission Fee required.
The Bob Harte Memorial Trust researches, collates and disseminates information regarding local history and has established The Thiepval Gallery as an interpretative centre.
Opened in 2008, it is located at 18 George's Street, off Wapping Lane in the Fountain area.
The Gallery contains a number of storyboards, each one representing a decade in the Fountains history and above each of these is exhibited a painting of a representative event from each of the decades.
Admission only by advance booking.
Free Admission - Donations Appreciated
The Heritage Tower Museum is the last remaining part of the Derry Gaol, which was closed in 1953 and demolished in 1971.
The Gaol was once the prison home to famous Irish leaders, Wolfe Tone and De Valera and is located in the Fountain area of the city.
Today the Museum exhibits a very impressive collection of artifacts and memorabilia dating from World War One to the present day, the majority of which is owned by the Jackson family.
Admission is by appointment only and donations requested.
The Siege Museum is a purpose built visitor centre dedicated to the history of the siege of Londonderry and the Associated Clubs of the Apprentice Boys of Derry.
The museum features artifacts,video and interactive media and is located adjacent to the Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall,Society Street.It includes a replica of the statue of Governor Walker which originally stood on the column on the walls of the city, prior to its destruction by a bomb explosion in 1973.
Guided tours of the adjacent Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall available to groups by advance booking. Access to Walkers Plinth is currently only available through the Siege Museum)
Admission Fee required
Opened in 1853 and the property of the local council, it became the main burial place for all people in the City from 1867, after the graveyards of St Columb's Cathedral, St Augustine's and Long Tower Churches were closed for new burials. From 1970 and the onset of "the Troubles", Protestant families primarily used graveyards in the Waterside.
Some of the notable graves include those of the hymnwriter Cecil Frances Alexander and her husband Bishop William Alexander, and the locally born architect, John Guy Fergusson. In recent years it is more prominently known as the resting place for some of the deceased from Bloody Sunday and in the republican plot, that of the former Deputy First MInister,Martin McGuinness.
The cemetery is free to visit, though guided tours can be arranged through the Friends of the City Cemetery at the cost of £5 per individual -advance booking required.
The Beech hill Hotel stands on the site of the plantation home, Skipton House which was originally built in 1622. Over the past 400 years it has been in the ownership of three families who have helped shape the city and the county, the O'Cahans, the Kennedy-Skiptons and the Nicholsons. In 1989 the house was converted to a hotel.
When the United States entered WWII in 1941, the city of Londonderry was chosen by the US Navy as the location for its Base One Europe, and officers and men from the US Marine Corps were billeted in the house and estate now occupied by the Hotel.
The Hotel houses a museum room and a woodland trail which remembers that period 1942-1944 and the continuing links between the people of the city and the United States Armed Forces.
Entry to the museum and woodland trail are free, but since this is a working hotel, access may be restricted at times and advance notice of your visit is recommended.
Ashbrook has been the family home of the Ash family since before 1595 and are the only family to have lived in the same house continuously in the North West. They are recorded by the Honourable The Irish Society as one of only four native owners prior to the plantation.
The oldest part of the house was built circa 1590, and it was partly burned by Jacobite forces in 1689 when the Ash family were within the City walls. Captain Thomas Ash wrote the most widely accepted history of the Siege and his sister Jane was widowed when her husband Captain Browning of the Mountjoy was killed during the relief of the city.
In the 1940's, Ashbrook also played host to the US Marines as part of Base Camp One Europe, when it was owned by the current Beresford-Ash family.
Open by appointment only, admission charge of £5.
Located on the outskirts of the city on Church Road on the Waterside, this is an ancient burial ground where early Ulster Scots planters and siege defenders were laid to rest. In particular the graves of Colonels Murray and Mitchelburne are located here.
The graveyard is free to visit, though hard to find due to its location. Take particular care when parking and exiting your vehicle as there is no car park. Also be careful when in the graveyard due to the uneven nature of the ground and hidden broken headstones.
Located in the former Monreagh Presbyterian Church manse in Carrigans Co.Donegal approx 8 kms out from the city. The centre explains the rich heritage of Ulster-Scots of the Laggan district of East Donegal, from the time of the Ulster Plantation to their migration to the New World, and in particular the USA. The Centre also provides assistance and advice on those tracing their Donegal ancestors.
When visiting the city of Derry/Londonderry, please consider a trip to the neighbouring county of Donegal.
Activities available through KAYAK'S Donegal Travel Guide - see link below.