Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has visited Derry Walls to promote the historic free-to-use site, which is the largest upstanding monument in State Care in Northern Ireland and which ranks among the top 10 most visited sites in Northern Ireland.
The Honourable The Irish Society, who alongside Livery Companies built the walls between 1613 and 1619, passed responsibility for the Walls to the NI Government in 1955 under a far-reaching Guardianship agreement. Since 2009, they have joined agencies with a practical interest in the management of the structure on the Derry Walls Management Group. This was set up following the development of a Conservation Plan, Management Plan and Gazetteer for the monument from 2004 funded by TourismNI.
The Minister said:
“Today, I am launching an update to the Walls Management Plan which reflects the strong partnership between my Department and a wide range of agencies with responsibilities, and interest in, maintaining and presenting it to the high standard that we see today.”
“These include the city council, The Honourable the Irish Society, the owners and original builders of the monument, the City Centre Initiative, Visit Derry, TourismNI, the Department for Infrastructure, the Department for Justice and the PSNI. I would also like to pay tribute to the volunteer work of the Friends of the monument to promote and increase awareness of this important site and its rich history.”
Since 2012, the Department has employed the City Centre Initiative to provide wardens for the monument and since 2019 a manager. This has significantly increased the responsiveness of management to issues and incidents and helps ensure that the monument is clean safe and welcoming to all visitors.
