Living Life: legenDerry days out

You can’t miss it. Visible from the top of the Derry Walls, the front door of Foyleside Shopping Centre and in every Insta feed that’s come out of the city, the Derry Girls mural – a large painting of the five main characters from the sitcom – is a landmark spot.

The show, which follows the adventures of a gang of teenagers in 1990s Derry, brought the city’s black humour to the fore internationally, but there’s always been a lot going on in this historic spot, and there are plenty of Derry connections to go around.

Taylor Swift, a recent visitor to our shores, has been claimed as a Derry girl, with the discovery that her great-great-great-grandparents hailed from the city.

From Joseph Locke and the Undertones to Nadine Coyle and Soak, she now joins a long line of musicians with links to this city.

With music, history and lots of fabulous food to encounter, it’s well worth grabbing your sterling purse and heading north for a weekend in Derry.

I first visited the city in early March 2020 with my Kiwi partner, who patiently humoured my efforts to taste and explore everything before the world locked down.

On a return visit this summer with a group of fellow food writers, it was good to see that many businesses that I had encountered on that previous visit were growing and thriving – and that this is a city that can be enjoyed by a group of friends as much as when it is encountered on a couples’ break.

Accommodation

Stay central at the luxurious Ebrington Hotel which has been developed in the former Ebrington military barracks. A confident blend of old and new buildings and with its own signature scent, this stylish spot is an ideal base for a weekend.

Directly in front of the hotel, through Ebrington Square, you’ll see the elegant Peace Bridge. Since 2011 this cycling and pedestrian bridge has spanned the River Foyle, connecting directly to the heart of the city.

The hotel is also next to the 70-acre St Columb’s Park, with plenty of tree-lined paths for a pre-breakfast stroll. Breakfasts are not to be missed.

With ingredients sourced from local producers like William Grant & Co for the Blas na hÉireann-winning bacon, seriously good sausages from O’Kane Meats of Claudy and jams made by Doreen Galt, it’s well worth working up an appetite in advance.

Don’t worry, you’ll walk it off as you explore this compact city.

• theebringtonhotel.com, B&B from £192/€231

Orientation

Take a quick trip to the Visit Derry information centre on Waterloo Place where the lovely staff won’t see you wrong.

Make sure you pick up the LegenDerry map, an initiative by the LegenDerry Food Network, which enables you to plan a self-guided trail through the city’s restaurants, cafés and street food experiences.

History

Don’t linger too long though – the Martin McCrossan Derry City Walking Tour starts at noon (and 10am, 2pm and 4pm) from 11 Carlisle Road.

The guides, in their distinctive yellow and blue, all seem to have mastered the art of walking backwards on the city walls while keeping the attention of a varied crowd with a mixture of distant and recent history, political insight and humour.

Our guide was the exemplary John McNulty, a knowledgeable and passionate advocate for Derry, and this was the best tour that I’ve ever experienced.

It ends close to the Derry Girls mural, giving you the perfect opportunity to grab an obligatory selfie. Angle carefully and you just might avoid all the other tourists with the same idea.

For a little more history, stroll down Foyle Street to the neo-Gothic Guildhall which dates from 1887.

This imposing red brick Victorian building has been called Big Ben’s little brother – the clock tower was modelled on the London landmark – and visitors can see its remarkably detailed stained glass windows and historic pipe organ, which is considered to be one of the finest in Europe (bonus is the admission is free).

You might recognise it as the backdrop to Bill Clinton’s 1995 historic speech to the people of Derry.

Culture

Re-enter the walled city through Magazine Gate for a date with The Derry Girls Experience in Tower Museum.

In this joyfully interactive encounter, you can stand in the Quinns’ kitchen, be photographed on their couch, see memorabilia like Erin’s diary and try on the bottle green uniform of Our Lady Immaculate College.

It’s the kind of exhibition that will have you delving back into the series when you get home – the acute balance of observational wit and real pathos in this fictional take on real history as told through the perspective of five self-obsessed teenagers is always worth a rewatch.

towermuseumcollections.com. Adult £6/€7.81, child £3/€3.59

Food

There’s a meal for every taste and pocket in Derry and it’s all within walking distance.

Grab lunch at the Pyke ‘n’ Pommes Pod on the riverfront and feast on tacos – the fresh fish or baja battered pickled cauliflower are my favourites – while sitting on the top floor of a stationary double decker bus called Decky.

You can see where the fish comes from – that sleek black truck next to Decky is Brendan Moore’s Moore on the Quay, which champions the fresh local catch.

For a lively atmosphere and intriguing flavour combinations, head to Umi on Strand Road. Think tapas-style Japanese and Asian fusion using local suppliers like Armagh’s Kingsbury Wagyu for wagyu beef and native Lough Foyle Irish flat oysters from Foyle Bia Mara in Moville.

Don’t miss the seasonal cocktails made using field-to-bottle vodka from Lough Erne’s Boatyard Distillery.

Local producers also star on the menu at Michelin-recommended Artis (artisatcraftvillagederry.com) where you can relinquish control and leave all your food choices in the careful hands of head chef Phelim O’Hagan for a relaxed seven-course tasting menu experience (£75/€89.71) with first class service.

The à la carte menu (mains starting at £29/€34.69) is also a treat; make sure you leave room for the unexpectedly light sticky toffee pudding soufflé.

Drinks

Back to Ebrington Square for the Walled City Brewery, where you can get interactive and craft your own spirit at the Earhart Gin School (£80/ €95.69), take a beer masterclass (£25/ €29.90) or simply enjoy the craft beer from the in-house microbrewery.

With 15 draught taps and quirky, Derry-centric names, try a flight – your choice of three 1/3 pints – so you can sample a variety. My picks – the zesty Boom Derry Pale Ale; Foyster Stout, a creamy, saline treat, made with native oysters from Lough Foyle; and Punt Purse, an Irish red ale from their – guess what! – Derry Girls beer series.

For some readers, it might be a bit of a drive to Derry, but it’s worth it whether you want to trace the steps of your favourite TV series with a group of friends, delve into the often troubled history of this city or simply make the most of a LegenDerry food and drink community that places a premium on local.

Getting there

Whether you go by train translink.co.uk, bus aircoach.ie or car, it can be a long road to Derry so make the most of it and stay for at least two nights.