Today was our day to visit the city Derry/Londonderry. We learned that the name itself is still a controversy with Roman Catholics wanting "Derry" and Protestants wanting "Londonderry." Our tour guide suggested we would be better off if we all called it "legendderry".
We started at the Cathedral of St. Columb. Martin Montgomery who is the youth minister for the diocese. He led us on a tour of ancient churches that were associated with St. Columb (more commonly known as "Columba" to us). Martin brought us across the Peace Bridge which had a very creative and beautiful design.
We then had lunch in a nearby mall and met a tour guide. Our guide took us on a walk on the historical walls that surround the city. The tour helped us understand the conflict that began in the 16th century that has continued until recently. The guide has emphasized how the United States has been helpful in contributing toward peace between the catholics and protestants in Derry.
We then had a local priest from the St. Augustine's Church speak to us about Irish youth drawing on his experience with three teenage children. He shared a lot of wisdom and drew us into conversation about social media and its pluses and minuses. One of his daughters is going to Oak Ridge TN next week as part of the peace process.
Finally we had pizza with nine youth from a local parish. It was a lot of fun talking with kids that are growing up in Ireland.
The best part of the day for me was the tour of the city. It was interesting to hear about the centuries of conflict that are occurring in this small town in Northern Ireland such as the walls and the segregation of catholics from protestants.
Having a good day,
Greg Epps