RIVER FOYLE

Tributaries include:

Mourne River

The River Foyle is one of Ireland's principle rivers. It flows northward in Northern Ireland, forming the boundary between Counties Tyrone and Londonderry in Northern Ireland and County Donegal in the Republic or Ireland. It drains into Lough Foyle. The principle town is Londonderry.

Much of the Foyle river system is entrenched in the landscape.

Places on the Foyle

Londonderry (Derry) Population about 100,000

This is by far the largest city on the Foyle and the second largest city in Northern Ireland. It lies predominantly on the west bank of the river.

The city was founded in the 17th century (1609) after the London Livery Companies began a plantation (a walled city and surrounding farms) in the area. Its intention was to found a Protestant community in a rural Catholic area.

It was after this time that the word London was added to the traditional name of Derry. Many of the Protestant people have a Scottish heritage.

The walled city was a reinforcement of an more ancient city built on a hill close to the River Foyle. The walls still remain intact.

One of the best known districts is Bogside, whose name tells of its founding close to waterlogged land. This was an undesirable location allocated to the poor at the time.