Quote Originally Posted by RockyR View Post
SMALL HIJACK



I found it very fascinating that when we were in Ireland this past January, STREET SIGNS to Londonderry had the "London" blacked out. This was true for 75% of the signs or more.

Without trying to be "political", we have followed their lead and list the tartan as Derry. Glad someone caught that and can appreciate it.

AND NOW, Back to your normally scheduled discussion...
It's a sectarian matter whether to say Derry or Londonderry, but Derry City is right on the border and once seceded from the North. I think that the IRA were hoping that Derry (as the locals call it) could become part of the Republic, but the Republic didn't want to risk starting a war, and eventually it was re-taken by British troops.

Derry City was really left on the wrong side of the border when Ireland was partitioned, which is a great shame, but it was the county seat of County Londonderry, which was and is mostly Unionist. The irony of this is that the North later abolished counties.

This leads me on to the question of who owns the copyright to the coats of arms of the six counties of the North. I should think that no-one does, as they no longer exist. The Republic, OTOH, has created three additional counties since partition, which AFAIK were all formerly part of Dublin.

I hope that this isn't too political, more like merely history. I am descended from people who came from the South coast of Ireland in County Cork, as far from the border as you could get.