Travelling the Back Roads – Derry

The group I’m touring with is called Back Roads Tours except in North America where it’s called Blue Road Tours. Apparently North America already has a Back Road Tours company and this isn’t that one.

The tour company is from Australia, which explains why most of my travel pals are Aussies. There are two other Canadian couples for a total of 5 Canadians and 13 Aussies. Jack is the other lone male traveller and we often get to sit together.

I haven’t got everyone’s name sorted yet but I’m working on it. This is an extremely friendly and intelligent group of people and they make wonderful travelling companions. It also doesn’t hurt that we have been staying at some fabulous hotels and had some amazing meals. I would say all so far have been 5 star.

Our tour guide Peter is a local fella as is our driver Ray. Peter is also a farmer but has been doing this tour bit for years. He adds a ton of information as we travel along and manages to aim us in the right direction for pubs, restaurants and tourist haunts. Ray is also a local fella and seems to know his way around this country. When they call it Back Road Tours they aren’t kidding. We have, so far, been to the back of beyond and then back on many roads that a bigger bus would not even try. He’s also quite adept at missing the occasional sheep that’s parked on the double yellow line.

Another point I should add is that our other tour guides, those who show us around specific locales, have been not only incredibly knowledgeable but quick to make everyone chuckle. I’m sure there will be more to come along those lines.

And…just a word of thanks to Peter and Gayle who put me on to this group. Very much appreciated.

I should get back on the trail as we are about to head to Derry then further up the North Irish Coast. We are going to return to the Redcastle this evening so we don’t need to pack our bags. Time for a bit of washing and quick drying while we’re on the road.

Londonderry or Derry, depending on you persuasion, has it’s original walls in place running completely around the old part of town. It’s the last city in that part of the world to have the complete city walls. It was these walls that held back the English when they tried to capture Derry.

As the story goes the Apprentice Boys ran out and closed the gates when the city was being attacked by a Jacobite force. This was seen as “rebellion” against James II and resulted in the siege of Derry. Today they celebrate that act of rebellion by having the “Shutting of the Gates” parade and the “Relief of Derry Parade”. As with most Irish stories I’ve heard so far, the history of Derry is very complicated and not a story I can recount in full here.

It was suggested that Derry did not suffer as much during the Troubles and I would suspect it was related to the marching and bonfires, that, while occurring in Belfast, did not occur in Derry. Even the “Shutting the Gates” parade is more about city pride that rubbing the citizens face in it.

Of course no trip to Derry would be worth it if we didn’t mention the “Derry Girls”.

Some time ago I watched the series on Netflix but I’ve managed to find it again and I’m re-acquainting myself with the show. It takes on a different tone and I understand a few more things having been to the city itself.

We’re off again on the road, this time heading North and North-west to the coast.

We’re heading for the Isle of Doagh and a visit to the Famine Village. This is an interpretive centre that explains what life was like for poor catholic families prior to and then during the famine. It was not uncommon for families to be evicted from their home because they didn’t own the land. The police would nail wood across the door the batter a wall down or burn the roof or both in order to evict the family

For families with only a small plot of land, the potato became a major part of their diet. When the crop failed in 1845 these families, who also had no money to purchase other available food, either starved to death or left Ireland. It is estimated that about 1 million died while another 1 million left the country.

The village is a major complex based on an actual village. Our guide at the village had actually lived there and the first stop was the house he grew up in. No question at all about the historical accuracy of the place.

Our tour guide Peter, believes that it was the failure of the government to support people that resulted in such a loss of life and massive immigration. There are several examples of food being exported to other countries, at a time when people were literally dying on the street. There we some make work projects, such as building un-needed walls, that gave people some money and when they had money there was no famine. The famine ended in 1852 and simply added another historical incident that did not speak well of the English and fanned the flame of Irish Independence.

Another site well worth the visit for it’s historical significance but it’s time to head back to Redcastle for a wee break.

Stand down