Londonderry

Londonderry, city, Northern Ireland

Londonderry: see Derry.

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Londonderry

 locally and historically Derry

District (pop., 2001: 105,066), northwestern Northern Ireland. It is also the name of a former traditional county, colonized by the English in 1609; the 1973 administrative reorganization broke up the county into several districts, including Londonderry. Bordered by the Irish republic and Lough Foyle, it is centred around the seaport city of Londonderry. In 1969 the old city and the adjacent area were merged administratively, and in 1973 it became one of Northern Ireland's 26 districts.

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Londonderry

 locally and historically Derry

Seaport (pop., 1995 est.: 77,000) and district seat of Londonderry, Northern Ireland. St. Columba established a monastery there in the 6th century, but the settlement was repeatedly destroyed by Norse invaders. In 1600 an English force seized the city; shortly thereafter James I of England granted the city to the citizens of London, who brought in Protestant settlers, and it was then that it became officially known as Londonderry. Growth of the modern city dates from the 1850s, when linen shirt making became important, and clothing manufacture remains a major industry. Home to two cathedrals, Anglican and Roman Catholic, it has been the site of terrorist violence. Steeped in the region's political turmoil, controversy surrounds the city's name. The British government officially refers to the city and district as Londonderry City, but since 1984 the nationalist-controlled city council has called itself the Derry City Council.

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Londonderry, Derry

1. a historical county of NW Northern Ireland, on the Atlantic: in 1973 replaced for administrative purposes by the districts of Coleraine, Derry, Limavady, and Magherafelt. Area: 2108 sq. km (814 sq. miles)

2. a port in N Northern Ireland, second city of Northern Ireland: given to the City of London in 1613 to be colonized by Londoners; besieged by James II's forces (1688--89). Pop.: 83 699 (2001)