Derry-Londonderry name dispute - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The names of the city

Derry

Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...

, county

County Londonderry

The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...

, and district

Derry City Council

Derry City Council is a district council in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. The Council is is responsible for the city of Derry and the immediate environ, providing services to an estimated population of , making it the third largest district council in Northern Ireland by population.The...

of Derry or Londonderry in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

are the subject of a naming dispute

Geographical renaming

Geographical renaming is the changing of the name of a geographical feature or area. This can range from the uncontroversial change of a street name to a highly disputed change to the name of a country. Some names are changed locally but the new names are not recognised by other countries,...

between nationalists

Irish nationalism

Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...

and unionists. Generally, although not always, one will find nationalists calling them Derry, and unionists referring to them as Londonderry. Legally, the city and county are called "Londonderry", while the local government district is called "Derry".

The debate became particularly politicised at the outset of the Troubles

The Troubles

The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...

, with the mention of either name used to associate the speaker with one of Northern Ireland's two main communities.

Origins of the name

The earliest Irish

Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...

name for the site of the modern city was Daire Calgaich, Old Irish for "oak wood of Calgach", after an unknown pagan. John Keys O'Doherty, Bishop of Derry

Bishop of Derry

The Bishop of Derry is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Derry in Northern Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric.-History:...

, sought to identify Calgach with Agricola

Gnaeus Julius Agricola

Gnaeus Julius Agricola was a Roman general responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Britain. His biography, the De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae, was the first published work of his son-in-law, the historian Tacitus, and is the source for most of what is known about him.Born to a noted...

's opponent Calgacus

Calgacus

According to Tacitus, Calgacus was a chieftain of the Caledonian Confederacy who fought the Roman army of Gnaeus Julius Agricola at the Battle of Mons Graupius in northern Scotland in AD 83 or 84...

. A Celtic Christian

Celtic Christianity

Celtic Christianity or Insular Christianity refers broadly to certain features of Christianity that were common, or held to be common, across the Celtic-speaking world during the Early Middle Ages...

monastery was founded there in the sixth century; Adomnán names Saint Columba

Columba

Saint Columba —also known as Colum Cille , Colm Cille , Calum Cille and Kolban or Kolbjørn —was a Gaelic Irish missionary monk who propagated Christianity among the Picts during the Early Medieval Period...

as founder. The name was changed to Daire Coluimb Chille, "oak wood of Columba", first mentioned in the Annals of Ulster

Annals of Ulster

The Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...

for 1121. As the monastic site grew in prominence, the name was reduced to just Doire (now pronounced d̪ˠɪɾʲə). This was later anglicised

Anglicisation

Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...

to Derry. In 1604, "Derrie" was granted its first royal charter

Royal Charter

A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...

as a city

City

A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...

by James I of England

James I of England

James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...

. The settlement was destroyed in 1608 by Cahir O'Doherty

Cahir O'Doherty

Cahir O'Doherty was the last Gaelic Lord of Inishowen in north-west Ireland.The son of Shane Og O'Doherty, he was 14 when his father died and had to spend the next few years gaining control of his lordship. He was knighted by Lord Mountjoy...

, Irish chieftain of Inishowen

Inishowen

Inishowen is a peninsula in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in the north of Ireland. It is also the largest peninsula in all of Ireland. Inishowen is a picturesque location with a rich history...

. During the Plantation of Ulster

Plantation of Ulster

The Plantation of Ulster was the organised colonisation of Ulster—a province of Ireland—by people from Great Britain. Private plantation by wealthy landowners began in 1606, while official plantation controlled by King James I of England and VI of Scotland began in 1609...

by English and Scottish settlers, a new walled city was built by The Honourable The Irish Society

The Honourable The Irish Society

The Honourable The Irish Society is the organisation created by royal charter consisting of members nominated by livery companies of the City of London, set up to colonise County Londonderry during the plantation of Ulster. Notably it was involved in the construction of the city of Londonderry,...

across the River Foyle

River Foyle

The River Foyle is a river in west Ulster in the northwest of Ireland, which flows from the confluence of the rivers Finn and Mourne at the towns of Lifford in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, and Strabane in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. From here it flows to the City of Derry, where it...

from the old site. It was renamed Londonderry, in recognition of donations from the livery companies

Livery Company

The Livery Companies are 108 trade associations in the City of London, almost all of which are known as the "Worshipful Company of" the relevant trade, craft or profession. The medieval Companies originally developed as guilds and were responsible for the regulation of their trades, controlling,...

of the City of London

City of London

The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...

; a new charter in 1613 stated "that the said city or town of Derry, for ever hereafter be and shall be named and called the city of Londonderry". The county was created at the same time, largely based on the previous county of Coleraine

County Coleraine

County Coleraine, called County of Colerain in the earliest documents was one of the counties of Ireland from 1585 to 1613. It was named after its intended county town, Coleraine...

, and named "Londonderry" after the new county town

County town

A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...

. A new city charter in 1662 confirmed the name "Londonderry".

Pronunciation

Historically, Londonderry was pronounced in Ireland with primary stress on the third syllable and secondary stress on the first syllable. In England, it was pronounced with primary stress on the first syllable and the third syllable reduced

Vowel reduction

In phonetics, vowel reduction is any of various changes in the acoustic quality of vowels, which are related to changes in stress, sonority, duration, loudness, articulation, or position in the word , and which are perceived as "weakening"...

or elided

Elision

Elision is the omission of one or more sounds in a word or phrase, producing a result that is easier for the speaker to pronounce...

. This latter is still used for the Marquess of Londonderry

Marquess of Londonderry

Marquess of Londonderry is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1816 for Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Londonderry. He had earlier represented County Down in the Irish House of Commons. Stewart had already been created Baron Londonderry in 1789, Viscount Castlereagh in 1795 and Earl...

's title; otherwise, the usual pronunciation now is primary stress on the first syllable and secondary stress on the third syllable. In 1972, Lord Shackleton

Edward Shackleton, Baron Shackleton

Edward Arthur Alexander Shackleton, Baron Shackleton, KG AC OBE PC FRS , was a British geographer and Labour Party politician....

commented, 'I very much hope that Ministers will stop talking about "Londond'ry". If they do not call it "Derry" they might at least call it "Londonderry".'

Historical usage

Before the outbreak of the Troubles in the late 1960s, the name was less contentious. While "Londonderry" was the official and formal name, most people in Northern Ireland called it "Derry" in informal speech. The name became a shibboleth

Shibboleth

A shibboleth is a custom, principle, or belief distinguishing a particular class or group of people, especially a long-standing one regarded as outmoded or no longer important...

when sectarian tensions increased.
Samuel Lewis' 1837 Topographical Dictionary of Ireland said "It was originally and is still popularly called Derry [...] the English prefix London was imposed in 1613 [...] and was for a long time retained by the colonists, but has [...] fallen into popular disuse". The 1837 Ordnance survey of the county of Londonderry concurs, and remarks "this mode of abbreviation is usual in Ireland, whenever the name of a place is compounded of two distinct and easily separable words; thus [...] Carrickfergus

Carrickfergus

Carrickfergus , known locally and colloquially as "Carrick", is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,201 at the 2001 Census and takes its name from Fergus Mór mac Eirc, the 6th century king...

is shortened into Carrick, Downpatrick

Downpatrick

Downpatrick is a medium-sized town about 33 km south of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the county town of Down with a rich history and strong connection to Saint Patrick. It had a population of 10,316 at the 2001 Census...

into Down, [...] etc."

In the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885

Redistribution of Seats Act 1885

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equally populated constituencies, in an attempt to equalise representation across...

, the two-seat Westminster constituency of Londonderry

Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency)

Londonderry was a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also a constituency in elections to various regional bodies. It was replaced in boundary changes in 1983...

was split into two single-seat constituencies. The use of "Derry" rather than "Londonderry" in their names was proposed by Frank Hugh O'Donnell

Frank Hugh O'Donnell

Frank Hugh O'Donnell , born Francis Hugh MacDonald was an Irish writer, journalist and nationalist politician.-Early life:...

, who said he thought that "at the time when the London Companies were despairing of retaining their hold upon Derry this Amendment would be accepted by the House. The Amendment would be welcomed in the North of Ireland, where the county in question was always spoken of as Derry, and not as Londonderry." This amendment was defeated, on the basis that a county constituency name ought to match the official county name; but T.M. Healy then proposed keeping the county name but changing the division names, thus: Londonderry (North Derry division)

North Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency)

North Londonderry was a United Kingdom Parliament constituency in Ireland.-Boundaries and boundary changes:This county constituency comprised the northern part of County Londonderry.It returned one Member of Parliament 1885–1922....

and Londonderry (South Derry division)

South Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency)

South Londonderry was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland. It returned one Member of Parliament to the British House of Commons from 1885 until it was abolished in 1922.-Boundaries and Boundary Changes:...

. Only David Plunket opposed this, noting "the City of Londonderry was spoken of both as Derry and Londonderry. The name of Derry was given when it was spoken of as a separate division of the county."

In 1958, when the newly-launched HMS Londonderry

HMS Londonderry (F108)

HMS Londonderry was a Rothesay or Type 12 class anti-submarine frigate of the British Royal Navy in service from 1961 to 1984.-Fleet service:...

made a courtesy visit to the port, nationalist councillor James Doherty protested that it was "a foreign warship which had been called after a version of the name of the city".

In 1984, the DUP

Democratic Unionist Party

The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...

politician Peter Robinson

Peter Robinson (politician)

Peter David Robinson is the current First Minister of Northern Ireland and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party...

commented in a Commons Sitting on the Appropriation (Northern Ireland) Order 1984 that: "Until the 1960s there was a happy use of both Londonderry and Derry. I am a member of an organisation known as the Apprentice Boys of Derry

Apprentice Boys of Derry

The Apprentice Boys of Derry is a Protestant fraternal society with a worldwide membership of over 80,000, founded in 1814. They are based in the city of Derry, Northern Ireland. However, there are Clubs and branches across Ireland, Great Britain and further afield...

, and it is proud to have that name. The Protestants, Unionists and Loyalists who come from that area are happy to call themselves Derrymen. It was a matter that did not provoke excitement and it certainly was not taken as being an offensive remark to say that one was from Derry. Then, in the 1960s, as part of a deliberate campaign by Republicans to loosen the London connection, they emphasised that they had dropped the name London from the name of the city. As a result, the Unionist community emphasised the London part of the name."

District council

The Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971

Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971

The Local Government Act 1971 was an Act of the Parliament of Northern Ireland, passed in 1971 to replace the previous system of local authorities established by the Local Government Act 1898...

and the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972

Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972

The Local Government Act 1972 was an Act of the Parliament of Northern Ireland that constituted district councils to administer the twenty-six local government districts created by the Local Government Act 1971, and abolished the existing local authorities in Northern Ireland.-District...

abolished the councils of the counties and county boroughs, and the lower-level urban and rural districts. These were replaced by 26 new districts

Districts of Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is divided into 26 districts for local government purposes. In Northern Ireland local councils do not carry out the same range of functions as those in the rest of the United Kingdom, for example they have no responsibility for education, for road building or for housing...

based around towns and cities, including one whose area comprised the county borough of Londonderry and the adjacent rural district of the same name. This new district

Derry City Council

was initially also named Londonderry, and, being based on a city, its council was named "Londonderry City Council". Nationalists accounted for the majority of the population, and Nationalist political parties were elected to a majority of the council seats. In 1978, councillor Fergus McAteer

Fergus McAteer

Fergus McAteer is an accountant and former politician in Northern Ireland.The son of Nationalist Party leader Eddie McAteer, Fergus was active in the civil rights movement of the late 1960s. He was arrested during the events of Bloody Sunday and charged with throwing stones, but the charges were...

of the Irish Independence Party

Irish Independence Party

The Irish Independence Party was an nationalist political party in Northern Ireland, founded in October 1977 by Frank McManus and Fergus McAteer...

(IIP) tabled a motion "that this council wishes that the official name of the city be restored to the original and more common name of Derry". It was passed with Social Democratic and Labour Party

Social Democratic and Labour Party

The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom...

(SDLP) support, on the understanding that no immediate action would be taken. In 1984 the city council passed a resolution under section 51 of the 1972 Act to officially change the name of the district from "Londonderry" to "Derry", consequently changing the name of the council from "Londonderry City Council" to "Derry City Council". On 24 January, the then-junior minister Chris Patten

Chris Patten

Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, CH, PC , is the last Governor of British Hong Kong, a former British Conservative politician, and the current chairman of the BBC Trust....

decided to accede to the name change, which was effected by an order coming into effect on 7 May 1984.

Unionists criticised the decision. Martin Smyth

Martin Smyth

Reverend William Martin Smyth is a Northern Irish unionist politician, and was Ulster Unionist Party Member of Parliament for Belfast South from 1982-2005...

said, "We are told that the two communities have to live together. We had a classic illustration of a name that brought the two communities together — Londonderry. 'London' indicates the British tradition and 'Derry' the Irish tradition. But the Government decided to do away with 'London' in the name of the Council." William Ross said, "Derry has never been used as the name of the city or of the island of Londonderry except as a shortened version of a longer name. The name was Derry Columbkille for centuries. It was Londonderry for centuries. Before that it was Derry Calgach [...] Those who sought the change sought it for no good reason. Their aim was to open a door. [...] It is beyond me how the name Derry city council will be separated from the concept of Londonderry city in the public mind. Everyone in Northern Ireland knows that the Republican elements in Londonderry city will ignore the name as they have always done. They now have a lever to put up Derry city right across the board. [...] People in Northern Ireland see it as an anti-British move by the most extreme Republican movements in Londonderry and the rest of Northern Ireland."

Debate on renaming the city

The 1972 legislation does not provide that cities be automatically renamed with their districts, though it does contain such a provision for municipal borough

Municipal borough

Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...

s. At the time of the 1984 name change, members of the majority SDLP group on the city council declared that it was not seeking to change the name of the city as it had no intention of "petitioning an English queen to change the name of our Irish city". The party preferred to leave the renaming of the city "for another day". The IIP obtained legal advice that the change of the district's name also affected the city and no petition was necessary. Unionist councillors protested at the name change by boycotting the council.

Judicial review

In April 2006 Derry City Council applied to the High Court of Northern Ireland to obtain a ruling that the true name of the city was indeed Derry, or alternatively an order on the British Government that it changed the name. It applied to the Information Commissioner's Office to require the Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office

The Northern Ireland Office is a United Kingdom government department responsible for Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and is based in Northern Ireland at Stormont House.-Role:...

to make public the legal advice it had received at the time of the 1984 name change. The case opened in Belfast High Court on 6 December 2006 before Mr Justice Weatherup. The council's case was that the 1662 charter naming the city "Londonderry" was subject to subsequent local government legislation, and that the renaming of the city council in 1984 amended the charter by altering the name.

Mr Justice Weatherup ruled on 25 January 2007 that the city officially remained Londonderry, according to the Royal Charter of 10 April 1662:

Equality impact assessment

During the High Court case, it was clarified that the correct procedure to rename the city was via a petition to the Privy Council. On 27 November 2007, the council passed a motion by Gerry MacLochlainn

Gerry MacLochlainn

Gerry MacLochlainn is a Sinn Féin politician from Derry, Northern Ireland. A councillor in Derry, he has chaired several of the council's major committees including regional and cross border committees...

to make such a petition. It was argued that this would provide a single clear identity to reduce confusion and facilitate marketing the city for tourism and investment. Three alternative proposals were rejected: to make no change to the name; to change to "Derry/Londonderry"; or to change the name of the city to "Derry" but retain the name of "Londonderry" for the walled city.

An equality impact assessment

Equality impact assessment

An equality impact assessment is a process designed to ensure that a policy, project or scheme does not discriminate against any disadvantaged or vulnerable people.- Definition :...

(EQIA) was instigated to advise how the resolution could best be implemented. An opinion poll

Opinion poll

An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...

of district residents was commissioned in 2009, which reported that 75% of Catholics and 77% of Nationalists found the proposed change acceptable, compared to 6% of Protestants and 8% of Unionists. It found 76% of Protestants and 79% of Unionists preferred the name "Londonderry" while 94% of Catholics and Nationalists preferred "Derry". Overall, 26% found the proposal "very acceptable", 27% "acceptable", 6% "unacceptable", and 8% "totally unacceptable", while 32% had "no strong views".

The EQIA held two consultative forums, and solicited comments from the public at large. It received 12,136, of which 3,108 were broadly in favour of the proposal, and 9,028 opposed. Over 7,500 submissions collected by opponents of the change were submitted on the deadline of 11 September 2009. Most submissions did not elaborate on reasons for support or opposition; 14 specific responses in favour and 513 against did so. Many responses came from outside the city council district area.

The Northern Ireland Community Relations Council's submission to the EQIA said "the refusal to resort to majority-minority mechanisms to resolve cultural disputes is critical if we are to find a way forward in Northern Ireland." It suggested "the city might petition to be known as the ‘City of Derry known equally as Londonderry and Doire’ and commit to the use of the terms Derry-Londonderry-Doire on all official signage and public imagery" It encouraged alternative suggestions.

The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland's submission stated, "In the light of the serious adverse impacts on people of different religion/political belief within the Council area, and possibly for the region as a whole, the Equality Commission strongly advise Derry City Council not to proceed with the policy as it is currently proposed since a range of possible options has not been adequately considered and a significant amount of good relations work remains to be done before any official name change is considered." Alternative courses it offered were: joint use of "Derry" and "Londonderry"; petitioning the Privy Council for multiple official names; changing the spelling of the name to "LondonDerry"; and renaming the city to "DoireLondonDerry".

The Town Clerk submitted the EQIA report to the council in time for its meeting on 8 March 2010, at which Sinn Féin councillors brought a motion to proceed with the petition. This was voted down by SDLP and Unionist councillors. The SDLP then tabled motions to establish a steering group on the issue and to convene the political party heads; both motions were also rejected.
In the aftermath of the meeting, Gregory Campbell

Gregory Campbell (politician)

Gregory Lloyd Campbell is a Northern Irish unionist politician, and the Democratic Unionist Party Member of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, representing the East Londonderry constituency of Northern Ireland....

, the Democratic Unionist Party

Democratic Unionist Party

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

for East Londonderry

East Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency)

East Londonderry is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.-Boundaries:The seat was created in boundary changes in 1983, as part of an expansion of Northern Ireland's constituencies from 12 to 17, and was predominantly made up from the old Londonderry constituency...

, said the issue was 'dead', citing the result of the EQIA as the basis of his opinion.

Further issues

A visible sign of the dispute to the visitor is in the road signs; those pointing to the city from the Republic

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

refer to it as Derry (and in Irish

Irish language

, Doire), whilst signs in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

use Londonderry. It is not uncommon to see vandalised road signs—the "London" part of the name spray painted over on "Londonderry" road signs by nationalists, or occasionally "London" added to "Derry" signs by unionists. Some sign-posts are even occasionally vandalised in such a way that "London" is replaced with the word "Free" (see Free Derry

Free Derry

Free Derry was a self-declared autonomous nationalist area of Derry, Northern Ireland, between 1969 and 1972. Its name was taken from a sign painted on a gable wall in the Bogside in January 1969 which read, “You are now entering Free Derry"...

).

In 1994, the city council voted, again on nationalist–unionist lines, to rename "Londonderry Eglinton Airport" to "City of Derry Airport

City of Derry Airport

City of Derry Airport is an airport located northeast of Derry, Northern Ireland. It is located on the south bank of Lough Foyle, a short distance from the village of Eglinton and from the city centre...

", coinciding with the opening of a new terminal building.

In 2003, Lord Laird

John Laird, Baron Laird

Professor John Dunn Laird, Baron Laird FRSA of Artigarvan is an Ulster Unionist life peer and former chairman of the cross-border Ulster-Scots Agency.-Career:...

asked in the House of Lords

House of Lords

The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....

why a recent press release by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland

Arts Council of Northern Ireland

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is the lead development agency for the arts in Northern Ireland....

had listed grants for "Derry City" rather than "Londonderry City"; he was told the heading should have been "Derry City Council area".

In 2005, a judge in the Republic complained when a defendant's address was written as "Londonderry", stating "It's just Derry with a capital D." DUP MLA Arlene Foster

Arlene Foster

Arlene Isabel Foster is a politician in Northern Ireland. She is one of two Democratic Unionist Party MLAs representing the Fermanagh and South Tyrone constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. She became Minister of the Environment on 8 May 2009 and was subsequently reshuffled into the...

said she would complain to the Irish Minister for Justice. In 2007, a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

tourist asking for a Translink

Translink (Northern Ireland)

Translink is the brand name of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company , a public corporation in Northern Ireland which provides the public transport in the region. NI Railways, Ulsterbus and Metro are all part of Translink....

bus ticket to "Derry" was confused when told that Derry "didn't exist". The incident was reported in the media and the bus company apologised and disciplined the employee responsible.

A review of local government from 2005 agreed to Arlene Foster's 2008 proposal to replace the 26 districts with 11 councils. Under the proposed reorganisation

Proposed reform of local government in Northern Ireland

The proposed reform of local government in Northern Ireland would have seen the replacement of the twenty-six districts created in 1973 with a smaller number of "super districts"...

, now abandoned, the areas of Derry City Council and Strabane District Council

Strabane District Council

Strabane District Council is a Local Council in County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. The headquarters of the Council is in the town of Strabane. Apart from Strabane the other smaller towns in the area include Plumbridge, Newtownstewart, Donemana, Sion Mills and Castlederg...

were to be merged. Assistant Commissioner Mark Orr recommended the name "Derry City and Strabane Regional Council" for the merged body, even though Unionist representatives had favoured a name which used "Londonderry" or avoided either word.

In the Republic's state Leaving Certificate

Leaving Certificate

The Leaving Certificate Examinations , commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert is the final examination in the Irish secondary school system. It takes a minimum of two years preparation, but an optional Transition Year means that for those students it takes place three years after the Junior...

examination in geography in 2009, a map of Ireland's counties

Counties of Ireland

The counties of Ireland are sub-national divisions used for the purposes of geographic demarcation and local government. Closely related to the county is the County corporate which covered towns or cities which were deemed to be important enough to be independent from their counties. A county...

included the label "Londonderry" rather than "Derry". The State Examinations Commission

State Examinations Commission

The State Examinations Commission is the organisation that replaced the Department of Education and Science, Examinations Branch of the Minister for Education and Science in the Republic of Ireland...

explained the map was sourced from the European Society for Geography. Cecilia Keaveney

Cecilia Keaveney

Cecilia Keaveney is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. She was a Teachta Dála and also a Senator from 1996 to 2011.-Early life:...

criticised the incident in the Seanad

Seanad Éireann

Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...

, saying 'If we must have "Londonderry", we should also have "Derry". ... it is offensive and insensitive to the majority of people to use "Londonderry" at the total exclusion of "Derry".'

Response to the dispute

Organisations dealing with the city and county generally take regard of the controversy in deciding how to refer to them.

A suggested compromise dual naming

Dual naming

Dual naming is a policy for the naming of geographical landmarks, in which an official name is adopted that combines two previous names. Usually, the context is a conflict over which of the two previous names is most appropriate....

of "Derry/Londonderry" (read "Derry stroke Londonderry") has given rise to the jocular nickname "Stroke City". Gerry Anderson

Gerry Anderson (broadcaster)

Gerald Michael Anderson, known professionally as Gerry Anderson , is a Sony Award-winning radio and television broadcaster from Derry, Northern Ireland who works for BBC Northern Ireland, and is a member of the Radio Academy Hall of fame...

, a local radio presenter who espoused this term, became known briefly as "Gerry/Londongerry".

Another locally-used method of partly circumventing this name problem is to write "L'derry" or "L-Derry". Another suggested compromise involves referring to the City as "Derry" and the County as "Londonderry"; this is common among historians of early modern Ireland.

Northern Ireland Railways

Northern Ireland Railways

NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways and for a brief period of time, Ulster Transport Railways , is the railway operator in Northern Ireland...

use the dual naming

Dual naming

of "Derry/Londonderry" on the destination boards of any trains bound for the city, and use the truncated version of "L/Derry" on all railway tickets to Waterside station

Londonderry railway station

Londonderry/Derry Railway Station, known commonly as Waterside Railway Station, serves the city of Derry in Northern Ireland. The station is also used by residents of the west of County Londonderry, much of west Tyrone and County Donegal. It is operated by Northern Ireland Railways...

. Additionally, the timetables for the Belfast–Derry railway line are printed with both "Derry Line" and "Londonderry Line" covers. The electronic online timetables use "Derry" for the station name, while printed timetables use "Londonderry".

Correspondence

Common practice in the Civil Service

Northern Ireland Civil Service

The Northern Ireland Civil Service is the permanent bureaucracy of Crown employees that supports the Northern Ireland Executive, the devolved government of Northern Ireland....

, Derry City Council, and in communication throughout business and other organisations within Northern Ireland, when responding to a letter from a correspondent from the city or county, is to reply using the same nomenclature as the initial communication. Therefore, a letter addressed Derry will be replied to an address in Derry, while a letter addressed from Londonderry will be returned to an address in Londonderry. When the UK directory enquiries service was demonopolised in 2003, Oftel

Oftel

Oftel has been superseded as the British telecommunications regulator by Ofcom .----The Office of Telecommunications was a department in the United Kingdom government, under civil service control, charged with promoting competition and maintaining the interests of consumers in the UK...

guidelines specifically required addresses using either name to be accessible.

The Police Ombudsman uses "Londonderry/Derry" or "Derry/Londonderry" on first use, and follows the correspondent's usage thereafter. It also says "The 'City of Derry' is an actual title and can be used in full."

People born in the city applying for British passport

British passport

British passports may be issued to people holding any of the various forms of British nationality, and are used as evidence of the bearer's nationality and immigration status within the United Kingdom or the issuing state/territory.-Issuing:...

s may use either name for the "place of birth" field. In April 2009, the Irish government announced a similar policy for Irish passport

Irish passport

Irish passports are issued by the Consular and Passport Division of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin, Ireland.-Physical appearance:...

s, where previously "Derry" had been required.

Similarly, those applying for a Northern Irish driving licence can have either stated as place of birth.

Media

The BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

guideline for news broadcasts is that the city should be referred to as Londonderry during the initial reference, and then both terms interchangeably. Account may be taken for the context. Other UK broadcasters tend to follow suit.

The University of Ulster

University of Ulster

The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...

's media guidelines state "we should be conscious of the audience for whom we are writing so the terminology should be varied according to the audience."

Media in the Republic of Ireland almost always use "Derry".

The style guide

Style guide

A style guide or style manual is a set of standards for the writing and design of documents, either for general use or for a specific publication, organization or field...

s for different newspapers address the dispute variously:
The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...

: "Londonderry, but Derry City Council; and Derry when in direct quotes or in a specifically republican context (this latter rarely)"
The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

: "Londonderry: use Derry and Co Derry"

Avoidance strategies

Businesses, sports clubs and other organisations in the area will frequently avoid using Derry or Londonderry in their names. This is partly so that they can avoid alienating potential customers or users from either side of the community.

Many name themselves after the River Foyle

River Foyle

, which flows through the city. The BBC

BBC

's regional radio station for the area is BBC Radio Foyle

BBC Radio Foyle

BBC Radio Foyle is a BBC Northern Ireland local radio station, serving County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. It is named after the River Foyle which flows through the city where the station is based. The station broadcasts from BBC's Northland Road studios on 93.1 FM and 792 MW in Derry, County...

. The city's Westminster and Northern Ireland Assembly

Northern Ireland Assembly

The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...

constituencies, which currently have co-terminous boundaries with those of the city council, are called "Foyle

Foyle (UK Parliament constituency)

Foyle is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.-Boundaries:The seat was created in boundary changes in 1983, as part of an expansion of Northern Ireland's constituencies from 12 to 17, and was predominantly made up from the old Londonderry constituency...

", partly in order to avoid the naming controversy and also because the seat has in the past contained parts of County Tyrone

County Tyrone

Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...

. Foyle was created in 1983, when the previous "Londonderry" constituency

Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency)

Londonderry was a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also a constituency in elections to various regional bodies. It was replaced in boundary changes in 1983...

was split in two; the other one, "East Londonderry

East Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency)

", is strongly unionist.

Others call themselves "North-West". This may refer to the northwest of Northern Ireland or the northwest of Ulster

Ulster

Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...

including County Donegal

County Donegal

County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...

in the Republic. The University of Ulster

University of Ulster

encourages this usage, particularly in relation to Magee College

Magee College

Magee College is a campus of the University of Ulster located in Derry, Northern Ireland. It opened in 1865 as a Presbyterian Christian arts and theological college...

.

The nickname "Maiden City" is sometimes utilised; for example, the Ulsterbus

Ulsterbus

Ulsterbus is a public transport operator in Northern Ireland and operates bus services outside Belfast. It is part of Translink , which also includes Northern Ireland Railways, Metro Belfast and Flexibus.-Services:Ulsterbus is responsible for most of the province-wide bus...

service from Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

to Derry is called The Maiden City Flyer. This alludes to the city's having resisted capture in the siege of 1689

Siege of Derry

The Siege of Derry took place in Ireland from 18 April to 28 July 1689, during the Williamite War in Ireland. The city, a Williamite stronghold, was besieged by a Jacobite army until it was relieved by Royal Navy ships...

. However, since the siege is an event celebrated by unionism, the nickname is itself politically charged.

Another nickname is "Stroke City", from the politically-neutral term "Derry/Londonderry" (vocalised as "Derry stroke Londonderry").

The Derry Theatre Trust consulted the public for the name of the theatre it opened at East Wall in 2001. "Derry Civic Theatre" and "Londonderry Civic Theatre" were rejected in favour of "Millenium Forum".

In popular culture

The Divine Comedy

The Divine Comedy (band)

The Divine Comedy are a chamber pop band from Ireland, fronted by Neil Hannon. Formed in 1989, Hannon has been the only constant member of the group, playing, in some instances, all of the non-orchestral instrumentation bar drums. To date, ten studio albums have been released under the Divine...

song "Sunrise" begins "I was born in Londonderry / I was born in Derry City too" and later asks "Who cares what name you call a town? / Who’ll care when you’re six feet beneath the ground?"

Irish comedian Neil Delamere once remarked on the RTÉ

Raidió Teilifís Éireann

Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...

television show The Panel that the RTÉ pronunciation guide is effectively the same as its BBC

BBC

counterpart, except the word "Londonderry", in which the first six letters are silent.

When performing in the city, fellow comedian Dara Ó Briain

Dara Ó Briain

Dara Ó Briain is an Irish stand-up comedian and television presenter, noted for hosting topical panel shows such as The Panel and Mock the Week....

, will open with the joke, "Hello my name is Dara or, if you prefer, you can call me Londondara."

Different mnemonic

Mnemonic

A mnemonic , or mnemonic device, is any learning technique that aids memory. To improve long term memory, mnemonic systems are used to make memorization easier. Commonly encountered mnemonics are often verbal, such as a very short poem or a special word used to help a person remember something,...

acronyms are used to remember the names of the six counties of Northern Ireland

Counties of Northern Ireland

The counties of Northern Ireland were the principal local government divisions of Northern Ireland from its creation in 1921 until 1972 when their governmental features were abolished and replaced with twenty-six unitary authorities....

: "FAT LAD" for Londonderry, "FAT DAD" for Derry.

Derived names

Among places and other entities named after the city or county, some have Derry

Derry (disambiguation)

Derry is a city in Northern Ireland.It may also refer to:-Places:In Ireland *The Roman Catholic Diocese of Derry*The Church of Ireland Diocese of Derry and RaphoeIn Northern Ireland...

(such as Derry City F.C.

Derry City F.C.

Derry City Football Club is a professional football club based in Derry, Northern Ireland. It plays in the League of Ireland Premier Division...

) while others have Londonderry

Londonderry (disambiguation)

Londonderry is a city in Northern Ireland.Londonderry may also refer to:-In Northern Ireland:*County Londonderry, or County Derry*Londonderry County Borough Council now called Derry City Council...

(such as the Marquess of Londonderry

Marquess of Londonderry

). These names are often not subject to the same politically-charged alternation as the names of city and county. The City of Derry Airport

City of Derry Airport

retains the IATA code LDY, assigned to it under its EGAE name of Londonderry Eglinton Airport.

The Apprentice Boys of Derry

Apprentice Boys of Derry

is thus named despite being a Protestant

Protestantism

Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...

organisation; the event it commemorates is generally called the "Siege of Derry

Siege of Derry

". The city's Church of Ireland

Church of Ireland

The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...

diocese is Derry and Raphoe

Diocese of Derry and Raphoe

The Diocese of Derry and Raphoe is a diocese of the Church of Ireland located in the north of Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh...

; like the Roman Catholic Diocese of Derry

Roman Catholic Diocese of Derry

The Diocese of Derry is a diocese in the north of Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh. The diocese was established in the year 1158.-Ordinaries:...

, it traces its origin to 1158.

The "Londonderry Air

Londonderry Air

Londonderry Air is an air that originated from County Londonderry in Ireland. It is popular among the Irish diaspora and is very well known throughout the world. The tune is played as the victory anthem of Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games. "Danny Boy" is a popular set of lyrics to the...

" is seldom called the "Derry Air".

The two towns of Derry

Derry, New Hampshire

-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 33,109 people, 12,537 households, and 8,767 families residing in the town. The population density was 924.8 people per square mile . There were 13,277 housing units at an average density of 143.2/km²...

and Londonderry

Londonderry, New Hampshire

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,236 people, 7,623 households, and 6,319 families residing in the town. The population density was 555.8 people per square mile . There were 7,718 housing units at an average density of 184.6 per square mile...

, in New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

, USA, existed as a single town until the 19th century. Thereafter the town, originally known as Londonderry, split into two sections, one called Derry and the other called Londonderry.

Geocodes

Some geocoding

Geocoding

Geocoding is the process of finding associated geographic coordinates from other geographic data, such as street addresses, or zip codes...

systems use an abbreviation of a placename as its codename.

IATA airport code: LDY
UN/LOCODE
UN/LOCODE
UN/LOCODE, the United Nations Code for Trade and Transport Locations, is a geographic coding scheme developed and maintained by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe , a unit of the United Nations. UN/LOCODE assigns codes to locations used in trade and transport with functions such as...

(port and airport): GB LDY
ISO 3166-2:GB
ISO 3166-2:GB
ISO 3166-2:GB is the entry for the United Kingdom in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for the United Kingdom,...

(district): GB-DRY
Chapman code
Chapman code
Chapman codes are largely a superset of the ISO 3166-2:GB and BS 6879 codes identifying administrative divisions in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, but covering historical divisions...

(county): LDY

External links

First Public Discussion: The Name Of this City? Two Viewpoints, February 19, 1995; and Responses; Conflict Archive on the Internet
Conflict Archive on the Internet
CAIN is a database containing information about Conflict and Politics in Northern Ireland from 1968 to the Present. The project began in 1996, with the website launching in 1997. The project is based within the University of Ulster at its Magee campus...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.