Province of Ulster

County Derry / Londonderry

Known as The Oak Leaf County. Straight from the name: Doire is an oak grove, and the city is Doire Cholm Cille, Colmcille's oak wood. The oak leaf is on the county crest.

Did you know? Derry's walls have never been breached — hence 'the Maiden City'. It was thirteen apprentice boys who shut the gates against King James in 1688.

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Through the ages — who held Derry / Londonderry

8,000 BC – 4,001 BC Mesolithic hunter-gatherers The First Irish

4,000 BC – 2,501 BC Neolithic farming communities The Tomb Builders

2,500 BC – 501 BC Bronze Age Ireland The Age of Gold & Bronze

500 BC – AD 99 Iron Age Ireland The Iron Age

AD 100 – AD 399 Robogdii Ptolemy's Ireland

AD 400 – AD 431 Ulaid The Five Fifths

AD 432 – 1013 Northern Uí Néill (Ailech) Patrick & the Rise of the Uí Néill Saints & Scholars The Viking Storm Norse Cities & the Rise of Brian

1014 – 1333 Tír Eoghain (Mac Lochlainn / O'Neill) Kings with Opposition The Norman Invasion High Tide of the Colony

1334 – 1607 O'Neill of Tír Eoghain The Gaelic Resurgence The Kildare Ascendancy The Tudor Conquest

1608 – 1640 Plantation counties The Plantation of Ulster

1641 – 1652 Confederate Ireland Confederate Ireland & Cromwell

1653 – 1800 Kingdom of Ireland Ascendancy Ireland

1801 – 1915 United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland The Act of Union An Gorta Mór — The Great Famine Land & Liberty

1916 – 1921 Irish Republic (declared, contested) The Revolution

1922 – 2026 Northern Ireland (UK) Partition — Free State & Northern Ireland Éire The Republic & the Troubles Peace & the New Ireland

Clans & surnames of Derry / Londonderry

Craig — Ulster Scots · “Scots for 'crag, rock'” Devlin Ó Doibhilin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Doibhilean” Doherty Ó Dochartaigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Dochartach, 'the hurtful'” Keane Ó Catháin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Cathán, 'little battler'” McLoughlin Mac Lochlainn Gaelic dynasty · “son of Lochlann, 'the Norse-lander'” Morrison Mac Muiris / Ó Muirgheasáin Ulster Scots / Gaelic · “son of Maurice / descendant of Muirgheasán” Mulholland Ó Maolchalann Gaelic sept · “descendant of Maolchalann, 'chief of the calends'” Mullan Ó Maoláin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Maolán, 'the tonsured one'” O'Connell Ó Conaill Gaelic sept · “descendant of Conall — a name built from 'hound' and 'valour'” Stewart — Ulster Scots · “steward of the royal household”

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On the ground in Derry / Londonderry

Aughlish · stone circle
Corick · stone circle
Derry · round tower · incomplete · 5.5 m
5 castles · Bellaghy Bawn, Coleraine Castle, Dungiven Castle, Limavady Castle, Low Rock Castle

Every pin is placed by its documented coordinates. All the monuments of Ireland →

Quick answers

What is the Irish name for County Derry / Londonderry?

Doire. Derry / Londonderry is one of the 9 counties of Ulster (Cúige Uladh).

Who ruled County Derry / Londonderry in the Middle Ages?

Around 1014 it was held by Tír Eoghain (Mac Lochlainn / O'Neill); by 1450, O'Neill of Tír Eoghain. The full era-by-era chronology is on this page.

What surnames come from County Derry / Londonderry?

Names historically associated with Derry / Londonderry include Craig, Devlin, Doherty, Keane, McLoughlin, Morrison, Mulholland, Mullan, among others.

Trace your ancestors in Derry / Londonderry

Free, from the holding institutions. How to begin: the six-step guide → · Spotted an error on this page? Suggest a correction.