Things you didn't know about... Londonderry

Londonderry: what's in a name?
Well, quite a lot, actually. Londonderry was historically known as Derry, the anglicisation of the Gaelic name Doire, meaning "oak grove". It was changed to Londonderry by royal charter of James I in 1613 to celebrate links with the City of London.

Naturally, this did not go down well with the indigenous population, and it remains contentious today. Nationalists refer to Derry while Unionists insist on Londonderry, with rival factions altering road signs according to their political allegiance.

The walls are strong in Londonderry
Londonderry claims to be one of the only walled cities in Europe whose walls have never been breached, not even during the Siege of Londonderry when it was surrounded by forces loyal to the Catholic James II from 1688 to 1699. The gates were locked against them by the Protestant Apprentice Boys, whose exploits are celebrated during an annual parade within Londonderry. This impregnability has earned Londonderry the nickname "the Maiden City", and the same walls are still standing today.

Londonderry scores highly in all departments
The world's oldest department store is Austins, with a five-storey Edwardian building in Londonderry's city centre Diamond. Established in 1830, it predates Jenners of Edinburgh by five years, Harrods of London by 15 years—and makes Macys of New York look positively modern. Manhattan's new kid on the block didn't come into being until 1855.

Londonderry has that star quality
Among the stars that Londonderry can claim for her own are Amanda Burton of Silent Witness fame, Nadine Coyle of Girls Aloud, and Dana, winner of the 1970 Eurovision song contest. They are indeed a musical lot in Londonderry—Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy is from the city, as is the late John Peel's idol, Feargal Sharkey, once of The Undertones, and the famous tenor of the 1930s, Josef Locke.

Londonderry wins Nobel Prizes
From the world of politics, Londonderry has given us Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness and architect of the Northern Ireland Peace Accord and Nobel Peace Prize-winner John Hume. And another Nobel Prize winner (though for literature) is Londonderry-bred poet Seamus Heaney.