Today was legen-- (wait for it)

March 11, 2014

derry! Legenderry! Okay, bad joke. But I had to do it! We went to a city called Derry!

And wow. What a city! 

Derry (or London-Derry, depending on who you ask) is by far my favorite spot that I've visited in Northern Ireland. If I were able to come back to Northern Ireland and live somewhere, I would definitely live here! 

After an early morning and some worship time, we took a bus and started touring Derry.  I would live here because, as you walk through the city, you can feel this sort of upward energy. Like in Belfast, the division in Derry is very real, but Derry seems to be moving in a positive direction. Once again, I encountered people who are trying to use storytelling and theatre as tools to foster reconciliation. I love that this has becoming a recurring theme this week! These are my people! 

I say that it's "Derry/London-Derry" because the Catholics (who consider themselves Irish) call it "Derry", but the Protestants (who are loyal to the UK) call it "London-Derry". I'm going with "Derry" for the sake of simplicity. I am not Catholic. 

One cool thing about Derry is it's history. There are large stone walls which surround Derry. It used to be entirely closed off, a kind of dumping group for Protestants in the 17th century when King James, a Catholic king, attempted to purge his kingdom of Protestants. Interestingly enough, today the city is mostly Catholic, but the stone walls remain. I love that this city feels modern and growing but there are still so many beautiful, antique relics everywhere you turn. 

Another interesting thing about today was getting to hear the Catholic side of the debate. Before today, our guides were all Protestant and our tour of Belfast was mostly in a Protestant area. Everywhere we looked in Belfast I saw British flags and images of the Queen. I didn't see a single Union Jack while in Derry except in what our Catholic guide called "the Ghetto"- the Protestant part of town. 

Hearing both sides of such a complicated and historically complex debate has been fascinating, but also exhausting! After touring the city, visiting museums, and hearing the arguments of both those who consider themselves British and Irish, it was time to relax and get some coffee and scones.

A part of our group split off and wandered into a random cafe where we all enjoyed hot coffee or tea and scones. Once again we were blessed with a gorgeous day, but it was still nice to have a few minutes inside. We took our time, talking for hours, before we finally made our way back through the city to the bus. 

After a bus ride, which began with a jam session to classic Britney Spears and ended with me completely passed out asleep, we arrived back at Corrymeela. We all enjoyed dinner together, worship time, and then an incredibly epic game of charades. 

All in all, I would say that this was a fantastic day. Beautiful weather, lovely friends, and a fascinating, artistic, historically rich (yet strictly divided)  city.

Derry.... I hope to see you again some day!