The Bogside (Irish: Taobh an Bhogaigh) is a neighbourhood outside the city walls of Derry, Northern Ireland. The large gable-wall murals by The Bogside Artists, Free Derry Corner and the Gasyard Féile (an annual music and arts festival held in a former gasyard) are popular tourist attractions. The Bogside is a majority-Catholic area, and shares a border with the majority-Protestant Fountain neighborhood; this interface area is largely responsible for the Bogside's history of unrest.
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History [edit]
Pre 20th century [edit]
The Bogside was originally settled in the mid twelfth century. It was originally a trading area with many people from Donegal visiting the area. In the late seventeenth century during Williamite War in Ireland the Bogside was part of defending the city from the English. History of this is the Derry city walls that were built in the early seventeenth century to protect English and Scottish settlers.
The Troubles [edit]
The area has been a focus point for many of the events of The Troubles, in 1969 a fierce three-day battle against the RUC and local Protestants occurred which became a starting point of The Troubles, became known as the Battle of the Bogside. Between 1969-72 the area along with the Creggan and other Catholic areas became No-go area for the British Army and police. Both the Official and Provisional IRA openly patrolled the area and local residents often paid subscriptions to both. On the January 30 1972 a march organized by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association organized a march against Internment that was put into affect the year before turned into a blood bath. The British Parachute Regiment shot dead 14 unarmed protesters and injured 14 more. this resulted in a large surge of recruitment for both wings of the IRA in the city. After Operation Motorman and the end of Free Derry and other No-go areas in Northern Ireland the Bogside along with the majority of the city experienced frequent street riots and Sectarian conflict lasting all the way to the early 1990s. In 1974 the Official IRA declared an end to their armed campaign, and with volunteers on the ground already mad about the ceasefire in mid 1972, that crossed the line to hardliners. In result Seamus Costello, and other socialist militants formed the Irish Republican Socialist Movement. This new movement included the Irish National Liberation Army the paramilitary wing of the IRSM. Derry and particularly the Bogside became one of many strongholds for the INLA in fact all three volunteers who died in the 1981 Irish hunger strike were from Derry or County Londonderry. The Irish People's Liberation Organisation, a breakaway group of the INLA made a small but effective presence in Derry engaged in a feud with the INLA in the city along with other areas in Ireland from 1987 to 1992. The feud ended with the Provisionals stepping in and killing the main Belfast leadership while letting the rest of the organization dissolve in the rest of Ireland. Throughout the rest of the 1990s the Bogside became relatively peaceful compared to other localities of Northern Ireland at that time such as Belfast, even though street riots were still frequent.
Subsequent History [edit]
Today the Bogside has experienced much change. It has seen minimal redevelopment compared to other areas in the city but twenty first century houses are somewhat known throughout the area. The area is also a stronghold for Dissident Republican activity. The area after the Belfast Agreement has always been known to frequent street riots but the largest in 1998 was the 2011 Northern Ireland riots. The riots took place in other parts of Northern Ireland but in Derry city they mostly in the Bogside. The vigilante group Republican Action Against Drugs formed in 2008 has a very strong presence in the Bogside. The groups goal is to use punishment shootings and even kill any suspected drug dealers.
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The Bogside, looking down from the entrance to the city walls.
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Bloody Sunday Memorial.
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Westland Street in the Bogside, viewed from the city wall (July 31, 2007).
See also [edit]
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bogside |
- Museum of Free Derry - History of the Bogside
- Bogside Murals
- Battle of the Bogside
- Bogside & Brandywell Initiative
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Coordinates: 54°59′52″N 7°19′38″W / 54.99778°N 7.32722°W
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