County Derry information

County Londonderry, also known as County Derry is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. Adjoining the north-west shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,074 km² (801 sq mi). It is also one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland, as well as part of the historic province of Ulster.

As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form "Londonderry" generally preferred by unionists and "Derry" by nationalists. British authorities use the name "Londonderry", while "Derry" is used by the Republic of Ireland. A common attempt at compromise is to refer to the county as "Londonderry" and the city as "Derry", but this is not universally accepted.

Image: A cannon sits atop the historic Derry Walls, which look over Derry City.

Cities and towns

Below you will find a list of cities and towns within County Derry. If a Further information link is available, please click on it to find detailed information including accommodation, restaurants, bars, pubs, shops and more...

Derry / Londonderry - Further information

Coleraine

Limavady

Magherafelt

Portstewart

Draperstown

The Sixtowns

Useful information

Derry has a Roman Catholic majority. Avoid wearing clothes with Rangers or Celtic football embles on them. Also try and avoid wearing anything at all with a Union Jack flag (UK Flag) on it.

Geography and places of interest

The highest point in the county is the summit of Sawel Mountain (678 metres (2,224 ft)) on the border with County Tyrone. Sawel is part of the Sperrin Mountains, which dominate the southern part of the county. To the east and west, the land falls into the valleys of the Bann and Foyle rivers respectively; in the south-east, the county touches the shore of Lough Neagh, which is the largest lake in Ireland; the north of the county is distinguished by the steep cliffs, dune systems, and remarkable beaches of the Atlantic coast.

The county is home to a number of important buildings and landscapes, including the well-preserved 17th-century city walls of Derry, the National Trust–owned Plantation estate at Springhill; Mussenden Temple with its spectacular views of the Atlantic; the dikes, artificial coastlines and the noted bird sanctuaries on the eastern shore of Lough Foyle; and the visitor centre at Bellaghy Bawn, close to the childhood home of Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney. In the centre of the county are the old-growth deciduous forests at Banagher and Ness Wood, where the Burntollet River flows over the highest waterfalls in Northern Ireland.