Walls 400th anniversary celebrations planned

Derry's famous City Walls will be the focus of a special programme of events celebrating 400 years since the completion of their construction.
By The Newsroom
Published 11th Sep 2018, 09:32 BST
Updated 11th Sep 2018, 09:38 BST
Aideen McCarter, Head of Culture, Derry and Strabane District Council, Mayor John Boyle, Ronan McHugh, Historic Environment Division, DOE, and members of the Footsteps Theatre company pictured in Guildhall Square at the recent launch of The Walled City 400 Years events. 2019 will be the 400th anniversary of when Derrys historic walls were officially declared complete. DER3618GS073Aideen McCarter, Head of Culture, Derry and Strabane District Council, Mayor John Boyle, Ronan McHugh, Historic Environment Division, DOE, and members of the Footsteps Theatre company pictured in Guildhall Square at the recent launch of The Walled City 400 Years events. 2019 will be the 400th anniversary of when Derrys historic walls were officially declared complete. DER3618GS073
Aideen McCarter, Head of Culture, Derry and Strabane District Council, Mayor John Boyle, Ronan McHugh, Historic Environment Division, DOE, and members of the Footsteps Theatre company pictured in Guildhall Square at the recent launch of The Walled City 400 Years events. 2019 will be the 400th anniversary of when Derrys historic walls were officially declared complete. DER3618GS073

March 2019 officially marks the 400th anniversary of the finished walled city project, which was funded by the Honourable the Irish Society. From 1613-1618 a team of stone masons worked to build robust defences to protect English and Scottish settlers in the city,and their work withstood two famous sieges of the 17th Century.

Mayor John Boyle, said: “Much work is being done to develop the tourism potential of the North West, and the city’s iconic Walls play a huge part in campaign. We need to adopt a collaborative approach to unlocking the potential of Derry as a heritage-rich ‘Walled City’ and a unique and exciting tourism destination. The Walls are also a living monument to be enjoyed by the local community and I hope to see local groups and organisations joining the celebrations over this anniversary period by engaging with the programme.”

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Tourism Manager with Council, Jennifer O’Donnell said: “It’s important that we take this opportunity to explore how we can develop the outstanding heritage destination potential of the City and region.”

She said the programme is being opened up to any community groups and organisations who may want to host events or heritage related programmes. “Council will co-ordinate and develop a collaborative marketing programme to support this activity,” she said.

Anyone with events they would like included in the Walls celebratory programme can contact: [email protected]

The programme, which will be continuously updated, is available at: www.walledcity400.com

Related topics:DerryCouncil