N. Ireland City Wants Its Old Name Back

Protestants and Catholics have been arguing nearly four centuries over the name of Northern Ireland’s second city, and the local council has begun formal moves to change it from Londonderry back to Derry.

Catholics have used the original name, Derry -- an anglicization of the ancient Irish name “Doire,” meaning oak grove. But Protestants prefer the official “Londonderry,” which was adopted in the 17th century.

The Catholic-dominated city council agreed last month to a complex motion that begins the process of changing the name.

In 1984, the council changed its name from Londonderry City Council to Derry City Council. Protestant unionists objected, and many refuse to use the new name. But academic opinion suggests that the name itself can legally be changed only by Royal Charter, which would require Britain’s Parliament to act. Unionists plan to protest to Britain’s Northern Ireland Office.

The name of the city was changed to Londonderry in 1613 at a time when Scottish and English settlers -- the ancestors of most Northern Irish Protestants -- were being “planted” in the province to strengthen the hold of the English Crown.