Friends of Derry Walls hold Annual General Meeting

Thursday evening last saw the Friends of the Derry Walls hold their final public meeting of 2023 in the Nine Hostages Café, Waterloo Street.

At this AGM, the Walls Friends Chairperson, Niall McCaughan, expressed his concern about some inappropriate developments which are happening around and within the Walls.

"Signs erected by community groups and private property owners may have a justification but collectively they create clutter which mars precious views of the exterior and interior of the Derry Walls.

"Now there are even permanent bin storage areas located directly against the 17th century national monument."

The meeting was also addressed by Manus Deery, Assistant Director, Historic Environment Division, Department for Communities.

Manus reported on the activities of the City Walls Management Group, which with very limited resources had dealt very effectively with many of the day-to-day challenges facing the Walls. These challenges ranged from stone and mortar-conservation, cleansing, graffiti-removal, lighting, weed control and drainage.

Mark Lusby, a volunteer with the Walls Friends, led discussion on a 19th century property map which shows the precise location of the demolished Lord Chichester’s Bulwark or Coward’s Bastion.

Group of members and committee pictured at the Annual General Meeting of the Friends of Derry Walls on Thursday evening last at the Nine Hostages Cafe, Waterloo Street, Derry. (Photos: Jim McCafferty Photography)

"We are hopeful that the Regeneration Team at the Council will use this information to mark out the missing bastion’s location in the pavement.

"The flanks of the angular bastion stretched out from the city wall towards present day Customs House Street and returned back into that city wall just in front of the entrance to Visit Derry’s tourist information centre."