Derry Diaries #2
30 June 2004
Rosemount Resource Centre
Sunny, rain, more sun, more rain, cloudy
(if you don't like the weather in Derry, wait a minute)

First full day in the Maiden City on the banks of the Foyle River in the Northwest corner of the Island of Ireland...whew. It's moving on towards 1 a.m. and the kids are finally asleep in the back room of the center.
I just went outside and the sky is still somewhat light...strange. We are so far north that I guess it never really gets dark dark, but I ramble don't I?
After a night of wake up wide awake at 1.30 a.m. and running straight into a door in the darkness, I rousted the troops at 8 a.m. for a breakfast of cereal and buns from the market on the corner. I guess it rained last nite but I didn't hear it. Caroline or "Cal" as she is affectionately called got everyone up and out. The kids responded well, no groans and moans.
Tommy McCourt gave a pep talk to the kids after breakfast. He emphasized that Rosemount, like any other neighborhood takes a little while to warm up to strangers and that they shouldn't be concerned. He also explained the proper etiquette for the meeting of new people and the responsibilities the kids have with their jobs. In short, if they are given a task to do, they need to finish the task before getting "distracted" with other goings on...hint hint. As usual, Tommy was articulate, gentle and forthright.
Below is a picture of him chatting over the breakfast cereal boxes.
After the intro to Derry we went on the "walk" a 3 1/2 mile history jaunt through and around the city beginning at the City Cemetery where we visited the graves of the Bloody Sunday victims moving through the Bogside area murals and making our way into the city centre and the Guild Hall (c.f. Derry pictures on BlackShade). We didn't have much time inside the Guild Hall because there was a wedding about to take place, but we did have a chance to sit in the council chambers.
We stopped by to see Micky and John at the Bloody Sunday trust and invited them to dine with us at Rosemount on next Thursday. I figure by then we should know who are the good cooks in the group. Tomorrow is the first full day of "feeding each other." Should be fun...shouldn't it? With the tribunal over and closing arguments to be held in the Fall, both Mick and John have more time which is always good for us. We reminisced about the first group that we brought to Derry and how we worked to get the building in ship-shape on Shipquay street for the families of those killed on 30 January 1972. It seems like a long time ago, but for these folks, it was yesterday. I don't think we ever "get over" grief. I remembered Brian Cotter this evening and got teary eyed again.
But back on the trail to discover the city, we stopped at Boston Tea Party for simple sandwiches and soup on this coolish day. This stop has become almost a tradition for the first full day in the city. The woman who served us is always appreciative of our custom.
From there it was a walk on the walls to see an overview of the Bog, Creggan and Rosemount in a panorama of those neighborhoods from the medieval walls of Derry. Those of you who have gone on this Immersion to Derry know exactly where we were standing when I took this picture of the group with the police tower in the background.

Off to little St. Augustine's chapel and to the Cathedral of St. Columb the founder of the city of Derry. The old fellow in St. Augustine's church initially thought we were Dutch...I don't know, maybe it's our accents. or maybe it's the way we look (c.f. picture above)
We walked through the Fountain area, an enclave of Loyalists on this side of the River Foyle. It looked as if they were in the midst of gathering wood for their bon fire on the night before the 12th of July. There were scraps of wood, plus sofas, chairs, and anything else that would burn.
Then it was back through the city to Tesco to buy provisions for the next few days...like fruit, drinks, bread, crisps (chips) and of course the necessary tea biscuits. Since the people at the Centre all share, so do we.
Back for the sacred three-times-a-day ritual of.....showers. We needed to wash off travel grime from the day before and to feel a wee bit human. Showering was (and is) a "festive" occasion. Since we only bath 3x a week for folks who shower 2 or more times a day, this is a luxury. So for all practical purposes, the world stops spinning for a half hour. Brooke Park Recreation Centre is kind enough to allow us to use the showers.
Yes, 'tis the wee things that count.
Darren, James and his cousin Kerry from Kent in England along with Kevin from the neighborhood of the Fountain came and hung out with us after dinner and had us all laughing out loud. Yes it's true that half the time we haven't a clue what they are talking about, but it is the way it is said that is funny. They are constantly slagging (cutting each other down) one another.
It is late (nearly 2 a.m.) right now, so I will cut this short. Tomorrow we jump headfirst into our jobs and I need to make sure everyone has a helmet...I'm sorry I just feel, you know...metaphorically inclined this evening (morning).
More later,
Cheers,
paul and caroline (or Cal)