Foyle Local History

24/03/2026

Very well said. The AI generated posts are so obvious, but they're proliferating. As the world continues to dumb down, the appetite for honest, carefully researched material should be growing. Alas it's not. If you're interested in learning more and/or contributing to communal knowledge about our own local history, please say so!

24/03/2026

Tend to avoid the sporting history of the city as so many others cover it so well, but had to post this. Stumbled across it in Getty Archives.

16-year-old Kevin Doherty works out with a pair of Indian clubs under the watchful eye of Wolverhampton trainer Jack Davies, 23rd February 1938. Kevin, the younger brother of Manchester City player Peter Doherty, was discovered at his school in Derry and secured by the Wolves. (Photo by George W. Hales/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

23/11/2025

Fascinating video exploring one of the many abandoned military buildings from WWII in the locality. There's a longer video on YouTube.

19/11/2025

History Inishowen is a new podcast series produced by Lands of Eogain which will explore aspects of the rich history of the most Northerly part of Ireland.

This first series focuses on the Early Christian and Medieval Period of history as it relates to the Inishowen Peninsula, County Donegal, Ireland.

Presented by local historian Neil McGrory, the first series features conversations with Max Adams, Colm O'Brien, Brian Lacey and Dáibhí O’Cróinín.

Local experts and those involved in community archaeology and heritage are also featured. There are conversations with John J. Hegarty from West Inishowen History and Heritage Society, Martin Hopkins from Cooley, Maura Harkin and Teish Doherty from the Colgan Heritage Committee and Sean Beattie from Culdaff and Cloncha Heritage Group.

There will also be a special episode with Connie Kelleher and Karl Brady from National Monuments who will give practical advice regarding the protection of historical sites.

Episode Five features a local heritage expert John J. Hegarty, an historian and archaeologist. John is the chairman of the West Inishowen History and Heritage Society, and is a leading figure in historical research in the area.

In this episode we hear of the importance of Lough Swilly in mythology and maritime history. We hear of the Vikings and their exploits in the Inishowen area.

There is more analysis of Early Christian Inishowen in Dunree and Fahan, and we learn about the mythological Gods associated with Lough Swilly and Dunree.

We hear about the origin of Buncrana and the role it played in O’Doherty’s Rebellion and in the fateful capture of Wolf Tone.

This series coincides with the launch of the new Lands of Eogain website (www.landsofeogain.com)which gives an overview of some of the main historical sites in Inishowen.

Produced by Macruari Audio and Film Services, Culdaff, Inishowen, Co Donegal.

Music - Dark Inishowen- Deirdre and Ella McGrory

The project has received funding from The Heritage Council.

Macruari Audio Donegal County Museum Donegal County Archives Four Courts Press Archaeology Ireland Tower Museum The Ulster Archaeological Society Inishowen Maritime Museum The Heritage Council Megalithic Monuments of Ireland Ulster Museum, Belfast Foyle Local History National Monuments Service - Archaeology National Museum of Ireland John J Hegarty

19/11/2025

Taken by US Marine Joe White sometime between 1944 - 1946. US personnel stationed here during the war were more likely to have cameras than most of the locals, so there is a huge trove of photos out there of old Derry that nobody has seen. Would love to put out a call to anyone in the US who has photos taken here by relatives from that time to share them with ourselves or any of the other relevant Facebook groups or pages. I wonder how many treasures are languishing in attics in old photo albums?

* Boys on the walls with the Guildhall in the background. Thanks to Michael Burns & J Knox for sharing this image.

04/11/2025

There's much to be worried about and wary of when it comes to AI. But used sparingly and wisely, it can be a wonderful tool. I've recently discovered that you can use it to animate still photos. So here's our first go - an old photo of Shipquay St in the 1880s. The Guildhall in the background isn't completed, as the empty socket of the clock shows.

Hope you all like it and if you do, we'll try a few more (suggest photos to animate in the comments!) We'll try to stick to real old photos, given that for all sorts of reasons the city has been very well filmed since the 1960s.

If you like the wee video, please like and share!

04/11/2025

09/10/2025

The podcast is fascinating and really worth following and listening. Congratulations to on a brilliant initiative.

09/10/2025

The 9th annual Discovery 2025! Conference, co-hosted by the Centre for Community Archaeology at Queen's University Belfast and the Ulster Archaeological Society, will be held *in exactly 1 month* on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th November in the Elmwood/Geography Building at Queen's University Belfast and online. This is a hybrid event open to UAS members and the public.

Friday 7th November from 18.30 will be our wine reception, followed by a celebration of recent publications on Ulster archaeology. The keynote lecture will be given by Prof. Richard Miles, the Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Queen's University Belfast.

Saturday 8th November will be a full day of lectures starting at 9.30. We have 17 speakers representing the sectors of commerical archaeology, community archaeology, academia, government and heritage bodies, and museums, focusing on Ulster and Irish archaeology. A sample of these lectures is featured on the event's poster.

Book your tickets for Discovery 2025! on the UAS website at https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/uas/Conference/. Space is limited, so don't wait too long!

Ticket prices are:
-Adult/Regular: £20
-Student: £10
-Online: £5

We hope to see you this year at Discovery 2025!

09/10/2025

06/10/2025

It’s ! 🗺️

This beautiful map shows Inishirrer Island (Inis Oirthir) — a tiny gem about one mile off the coast of Gweedore, Co. Donegal. The island itself is only about a mile long and a quarter-mile wide! 🌊

Part of the Gweedore Estate collection, the map was originally surveyed by Robert Montgomery in 1841 and revised by Edward Rocke in 1896. It features a charming compass in the bottom right corner with a ship illustration in the centre and includes buildings that hint at where islanders may have once lived. You can also spot “The Sound of Innishirrir” written along the bottom of the island!🧭

PRONI Ref - D3310/13

Donegal County Museum
Donegal County Archives

05/10/2025

Milburn Henke in Londonderry.

Private First Class Milburn H Henke of Company B, 1st Battalion, 133d Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division United States Army was officially the first American Soldier to land in the United Kingdom when he stepped off H.M.T. Strathaird at Dufferin Quay in Belfast on 26th January 1942.

From Hutchinson,Minnesota Henke had enlisted before Pearl Harbor on October 10, 1941 and received the Silver Star during "Operation Torch" in North Africa for crawling forward under fire to rescue an officer who had been shot. His back was broken when a weapons carrier rolled over and he spent months in hospitals in Oran and Algiers.

Sadly only a few of the 4,058 men who landed with Henke were left in the unit in 1945; only seven men who landed in Northern Ireland remained in 1st battalion in 1945 with Milburn Henkepassing away in 1998

My comparrison photograph shows Henke on Guard Duty at the Culmore Road entrance to Belmont Camp.

(Life Magazine)