Award Winning Derry Walking Tour
An amazing walking journey through world famous Derry City, with the best Derry Walking Tour there is sharing it's rich history.
2hours
EASY






























- Description
- Itinerary
- Meeting points
An Award-Winning Derry Walking Tour
Ever wondered why Derry Walking Tours are a hit in Ireland? Why people from all around the world like to visit and absorb the historical beauty and political diversity it holds?
Walk with us along the ONLY walled city in Ireland, visit our neighbourhoods, see one of the finest collections of cannons in the world. Listen to our local tales about the LONGEST city siege in Irish History, hear about why Derry is referred to as the ‘Crucible of the Troubles’ and much more.
On this tour you will learn about the foundation of Doire (Derry) dating back to the time of Columcille in 546AD. Derry played a significant role throughout the years of mass Immigration from Ireland, particularly during the Famine (An Gorta Mór). Derry’s walls date back to 1618, while walking on these walls you will learn of the Siege of Derry (1688-1689) and you will be able to view the beautiful St Columb’s Cathedral.
Derry is famous for its historical gothic buildings and the information they hold. When it comes to getting immersed in history and seeing firsthand the areas that shaped our city, you need to experience the best Derry tour with us.
Tours of Derry takes pride in giving walking tours to its clients in a professional yet friendly fun filled way. You will have a remarkable 2-hour walking tour full of factual information and loads of craic. The experience will leave you with the memories of the best Derry Tour you have ever taken.
Derry Tours 2020 gives you a walking tour of twenty plus beautiful historical and natural places. The places and stories which our tourists always remark on and love are Derry’s Walls, The Marching Season Traditions, The History of the Apprentice Boys, The Peoples Gallery (Murals) The Bloody Sunday Story, The Battle of The Bogside and The Civil Rights Movement.
It doesn’t matter if you are a solo traveler, couple, educational class, university or want to have a Derry tour in a family group, we will make your experience exceptional with our tour guide services. Our tour guides are highly trained, knowledgeable, local and authentic professionals who know how to give the best five-star tour in Northern Ireland. If you have arranged a school trip, you will find the friendliest tour guides explaining things in the simplest and most interesting ways. It is our utmost priority that our clients feel comfortable and enjoy every minute of your tour of Derry.
Tours of Derry has been providing its service for the past 15 years plus. Our customer-orientated approach and immense knowledge of Derry’s history has enabled us to win the award for the best Derry tour over many years. We are not just performing a job, we love Derry as this is our hometown and that is why our walking tours are passionate and come straight from the heart!
- Origins of the Conflict
- The Civil Rights Movement
- The beginning of the conflict
- Free Derry
- The Battle of the Bogside
- Internment
- Bloody Sunday
- Operation Motorman
- The Hunger Strikes
- The current Peace Process
In the 1950s oppressed people around the world began to demand civil rights and change. Increasingly alert to events in the wider world, Derry noted the US, South African and other struggles for justice, and by the mid-1960s small groups in Derry and elsewhere were taking to the streets to demand action on housing, jobs and votes. Some unionist politicians were making promises of change, but opposition from within their own ranks frustrated this and civil rights protests spread. The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) was formed to coordinate actions. “We Shall Overcome” became the anthem of the civil rights movement in Ireland.
The background of the Battle of the Bogside was the emergence of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland and the resistance it faced from the state. In August 1969 The Battle of the Bogside was a three-day riot in the city which saw the people of the Bogside area erect barricades to prevent the RUC entering. The violence ultimately led to the deployment of British troops on the streets, a decision that was initially welcomed by many of those in the area.
British and unionist politicians fumed at the existence of Free Derry. But internment had stiffened the community’s resolve. An anti-internment march was planned for 30 January 1972. Fifteen thousand people gathered in Creggan on a bright, crisp winter’s day. There were rumours that paratroopers were amongst the heavy British Army presence in town, but the mood was cheerful. A peaceful day (by Derry standards), was expected. The march began shortly after 3pm. A little over an hour later, 13 men and boys lay dead – innocent and unarmed marchers shot down by members of the British Army’s Parachute Regiment; a 14th man died later from his wounds. Seventeen others, including two women, were injured. Some were shot in the back as they tried to flee. One victim was shot a second time and killed as he lay injured, others were shot as they tried to help the injured and dying.
The 1981 Irish hunger strike was the culmination of a five-year protest during The Troubles by Irish republican prisoners in Northern Ireland. The protest began as the blanket protest in 1976, when the British government withdrew Special Category Status (prisoner of war rather than criminal status) for convicted paramilitary prisoners. In 1978, the dispute escalated into the dirty protest, where prisoners refused to leave their cells to wash and covered the walls of their cells with excrement. In 1980, seven prisoners participated in the first hunger strike, which ended after 53 days.[1]
The second hunger strike took place in 1981 and was a showdown between the prisoners and the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. One hunger striker, Bobby Sands, was elected as a member of parliament during the strike, prompting media interest from around the world.[2] The strike was called off after ten prisoners had starved themselves to death, including Sands, whose funeral was attended by 100,000 people.
With you in mind
Ensuring our customer’s comfort and enjoyment, we will take care of you in every possible way. You can book this Derry walking tour as a standalone tour or part of a package as we can arrange onward journeys to other parts of Northern Ireland and Donegal if requested.
Our tour guides are more than happy to recommend places to eat, drink and stay in Derry, so please do ask when you are booking your Derry tour.
Check out our (DMC) Destination Management Company page here. We will pick you up and drop you off at your desired accommodation at the time decided by you. Your vacation is in your time and you got the right to enjoy it your way. Unlike other tour guide companies, we don’t enforce a timetable to make you uneasy over a tight schedule. Go ahead and make a reservation now and I look forward to meeting you very soon.
Tours can be cancelled without any fees.
Please Note:
- Wheelchair accessible, Stroller / Pram accessible, Animals or pets allowed
- Public transportation nearby
- Wear suitable clothing for Irish weather
- No Food or Drink please.
We'll meet at your hotel, or other agreed location in Derry.
During our tour, we'll explore:
Origins of the Conflict
- Civil rights movement
- The beginning of the conflict
- Free Derry
- The Battle of the Bogside
- Internment
- Bloody Sunday
- Operation Motorman
- The Hunger Strikes
- The current peace process
At the end, we'll return back to your accommodations, or another agreed upon spot.
On this two hour walking tour we walk into the Bogside which is one of the most affected areas in the North of Ireland with over thirty years of troubles, the place which saw the birth of the civil rights movement, Battle of the Bogside, Bloody Sunday, and an Area that showed much resistance towards the security forces and the British Army who regularly invaded the area.
You can start this experience at the following places.
Tours of Derry
Great James Street 37, Londonderry BT48 7DF, Northern Ireland, GB
Guildhall
Guildhall Street, Londonderry BT48, Northern Ireland, GB
Being a university student studying the Troubles, I was blown away by the knowledge and experience of Ruari. He answered every question with extreme detail and used his own experiences… read more to illustrate the climate and history of Northern Ireland. He treated much of the tour as a conversation that was extremely enjoyable and informative. We encountered several logistical issues due to unforeseen circumstances but Ruari handled them with remarkable flexibility and patience. I was blown away by the trip and every part of the tour exceeded my expectations.

March 30, 2020
I first met Ruairí in Derry in May 2019 and began working with him in August to plan a tour for 12 university students from the States in March 2020… read more who were taking a course on the modern history and politics of Northern Ireland. Throughout the whole planning process, he accommodated our changing needs, responded quickly to questions, and made me feel very comfortable about how the trip was going to go. As the trip got closer, I found that I wasn’t too nervous about it because I felt like we were going to be in good hands. I was right. From the minute Ruairí met us in the hotel in Belfast until we said goodbye in Derry, he provided my students with his insight, experiences, good humor, patience, and tips on where to go to really immerse oneself in the life of Belfast and Derry. Because he grew up in Derry and knows so many people who were willing to meet and talk with my students about their experiences, Ruairí was able to make the history my students had read in the weeks before come alive. And because we were traveling at the point where the coronavirus began to spread across Europe and the US, we experienced a great deal of uncertainty in our last two days about whether we would have to re-arrange our schedule or abandon parts of it. But Ruairí calmly adjusted, taking us off of the beaten path to a few beautiful out-of-the-way places in Donegal that we otherwise would not have been able to see. I know that there are a number of options to choose from for instructors who are bringing students to Northern Ireland, but I could not have been more pleased with what Ruairí was able to provide for my class. And I now consider him a friend and I look forward to bringing over more students in the future for him to show around his beautiful homeland.

March 25, 2020