Derry’s Bogside Murals: A Complete Guide to The People’s Gallery
Derry’s Bogside murals, known collectively as the People’s Gallery, are among the most powerful pieces of public art on the island of Ireland. Painted on the gable walls along Rossville Street, they capture defining moments of the Troubles civil rights marches, the Battle of the Bogside, Bloody Sunday, and the hunger strikes through stark, human images that still resonate today.
Check out my Northern Ireland Travel Tips Guide before you go
After visiting Derry, you should also spend one day in Belfast walking along the peace walls and studying the political murals there, where decades of division and hope are painted side by side.
I was born in Northern Ireland and have visited Derry many times over the years; the murals read differently each visit. This guide explains what the murals depict, why they matter, and how to see them respectfully and efficiently on foot plus nearby sites that complete the story.
We were a blended family of Protestants and Catholics. Before the mid‑1960s, relatives spoke of everyday discrimination against Catholics; open violence escalated later as civil rights marches met heavy‑handed policing and community tensions intensified.
On visits back in the early 1980s, friends in Donegal and Derry helped me understand how events on the ground shaped daily life. That first‑hand exposure informs the context I share here.
I visited Derry often as living in Donegal Derry was a mere 45-minute drive from Donegal Town. I think it is important to clarify the name of the city.
Derry or Londonderry?
Derry (Doire, “oak grove”) is Northern Ireland’s second‑largest city and the island’s only fully intact walled city. The historic core sits on the west bank of the River Foyle, linked by road bridges and the pedestrian Peace Bridge. You’ll see both “Derry” and “Londonderry” used—nationalists tend to prefer Derry, unionists Londonderry. This guide uses “Derry,” the common local usage.
Timeline of The Troubles roughly from 1968 to the late ’90s
Bogside – a Catholic neighbourhood in Derry
Civil rights march — On 5 October 1968, a protest along Duke Street highlighted discriminatory housing and voting practices. Although banned, marchers proceeded and were baton‑charged by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in front of TV cameras.
Burntollet Bridge 1969
On New Year’s Day 1969, activists marched from Belfast to Derry, inspired by US civil rights protests. Near Burntollet Bridge outside Derry, loyalists attacked the marchers; the RUC response was widely criticized.
Battle of the Bogside
The Battle of the Bogside (12–14 August 1969) erupted around an Apprentice Boys parade that passed near the Bogside. Following clashes between residents and the RUC, the community erected barricades and resisted police incursions. British troops were deployed on 14 August to restore order and remained in Northern Ireland for years thereafter. The “You Are Now Entering Free Derry” slogan first appeared on a gable wall in January 1969 and the surviving wall still stands at Free Derry Corner.
Bloody Sunday
After internment without trial was introduced in 1971, a civil rights march in Derry on 30 January 1972 ended when soldiers from the Parachute Regiment opened fire. Thirteen civilians were killed that day; a fourteenth died later of injuries.
Bloody Friday
On Friday 21 July 1972, 19 Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombs exploded across Belfast and 130 people were injured and nine people killed.
The People’s Gallery
The People’s Gallery comprises twelve large‑scale murals along Rossville Street, created between 1994 and 2008 by the Bogside Artists—Tom Kelly, William Kelly, and Kevin Hasson. Supplies were initially donated by local residents, and the works quickly became an open‑air chronicle of the Troubles.
Today the murals draw visitors from around the world, but they remain rooted in the community’s lived experience. The 2019 killing of journalist Lyra McKee in nearby Creggan was a stark reminder that legacies of violence persist. A guided tour with local residents adds depth and context from multiple perspectives.
Plan your visit: route, tips, and etiquette
- Start point: Free Derry Corner (Lecky Rd/Rossville St). From here, walk south along Rossville Street to see the murals in sequence.
- Duration: 45–60 minutes at an easy pace; allow 90 minutes with a guide or museum stop.
- Best time/light: Morning or late afternoon for softer light on the gables; avoid heavy rain/wind if you plan to photograph.
- Guided tours: Check the Museum of Free Derry and local operators for walking tours that include first‑hand accounts.
- Accessibility: Pavements are mostly level; crossings at junctions can be busy—use designated crossings.
- Etiquette: Be respectful around commemorative sites and during any local events; ask before photographing people; avoid climbing walls or barriers.
- Nearby: Museum of Free Derry, Bloody Sunday Memorial, Hands Across the Divide sculpture, Peace Bridge, Derry’s city walls.
Operation Motorman
In the early hours of 31 July 1972, the British army began Operation Motorman in response to Bloody Friday. Their goal was to re-take control of ‘no-go’ areas in Irish nationalist communities and dismantle the barricades.
Operation Motorman involved approx 21,000 troops and would be the biggest military operation in Ireland since the Irish War of Independence.
Hunger Strike
In March 1981, Bobby Sands, the leader of the provisional IRA prisoners, began a hunger strike in the Maze. He died after 66 days. Another 9 hunger strikers died before the campaign was called off in October.
The Petrol Bomber
Battle of the Bogside, August 1969. A young boy in a gas mask holds a petrol bomb made from a milk bottle. Painted in 1994 as peace talks were beginning.
Bernadette
Bernadette Devlin McAliskey addressing crowds in the Bogside; later elected to Westminster at 21.
Bloody Sunday
A group of men, led by a local priest, carry the body of Jackie Duddy, the first fatality of the day.
Bloody Sunday Commemoration
Portraits of the fourteen people killed on 30 January 1972.
Death of Innocence
Fourteen‑year‑old Annette McGavigan, killed near her home in September 1971; objects and colors in the mural speak to lost childhood and hope.
Mothers and sisters
Peggy O’Hara, mother of hunger striker Patsy O’Hara, appears alongside relatives of other prisoners; the child points toward the Peace Mural.
Peace mural
A dove emerges from an oak leaf (Derry’s symbol). Equal squares represent equal citizenship: a statement of hope.
Operation Motorman
Summer 1972—British troops moved into “no‑go” areas and removed barricades, ending “Free Derry.”
The Saturday Matinee
Riots were common from 1969 into the early 1970s, often on Saturday afternoons.
Civil Rights
Early marches, inspired in part by the US civil rights movement, began as peaceful demonstrations.
The Runner
A boy runs as CS gas drifts through the Bogside.
A Tribute to John Hume
References Hume’s admiration for Martin Luther King Jr.; Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela signal global struggles for non‑violence. All four are Nobel laureates.
Hunger Strike Mural 2000
Painted by the Bogside Artists in 2000; reflects the 1981 hunger strike and its impact on families and communities.
Street art in the Bogside
YOU ARE NOW ENTERING FREE DERRY
First painted by teenager John “Caker” Casey in 1969 on a gable wall (the surrounding terraces are gone). The wall remains a living canvas, often displaying temporary slogans related to current events.
Bloody Sunday Memorial
A granite memorial marks the site; plaques list the victims and flowers are often left in remembrance.
Museum of Free Derry
The museum focuses on the Battle of the Bogside, Bloody Sunday, and Operation Motorman, with over 25,000 artefacts. It provides crucial context before or after walking the murals.
The Women of Derry
This mural is dedicated to the Women of Derry. Countess Markievicz, carrying a flag of Cumann na mBan, and Ethel Lynch, carrying a flag of the Derry IRA. Markievicz is famous for her role in the Easter Rising of 1916 Lynch died in December 1974 of injuries sustained when a bomb exploded prematurely.
1981 Hunger Strike mural (Rossville Street)
One of the island’s longest political murals, unveiled in 2021, commemorates the ten prisoners who died during the 1981 hunger strike.
Hunger Strike Memorial
This monument commemorates those who died in the 1981 hunger strike.
Women’s Voices Matter
This is a more recent mural of the Lower Shankill estate. It shows a patchwork quilt of words related to women and the roles they play in families and communities, such as “aunt”, “mother”, “sister”, “granny”, and “caring”, “diverse”, “strong”, and “unheard voices”.
Che Guevara Mural
My personal favourite was, however, the Che Guevara mural. Apparently, Che’s father, whose full name is Ernesto Guevara Lynch, was proud of his Irish roots and how his family built a business in Argentina after fleeing Ireland during Cromwell’s era.
Years later when Che was Cuba’s transport minister, he made an unscheduled stop off in Limerick and wrote a letter to his father, who he thought would be pleased to hear that he was visiting a country of his ancestry.
Jim Fitzpatrick an Irish artist created the famous print of Che that appears around the world on t-shirts to posters. Jim was also the graphic designer for all of Thin Lizzy’s album covers. Recently Adrian told us that since Jim never received a penny for the Che graphic he has now copyrighted the graphics and created a fund that gives all the profits from the sale of the image back to Cuba.
The Bogside murals are part of Derry’s living memory. Seen together with Free Derry Corner, the Bloody Sunday Memorial, and the Museum of Free Derry, they offer a grounded way to understand the city’s past and present. For lighter contemporary culture in the city centre, the “Derry Girls” mural is a separate stop outside the Bogside.
These murals provide a vivid visual representation of this tumultuous past, allowing visitors to gain an understanding and appreciation for what has transpired in this region. As time passes, these murals will continue to be a source of inspiration for generations to come.
Despite its historic layout, much of Derry can be explored at a comfortable pace with careful planning, and my Accessible Derry guide explains accessible routes, surfaces, and lower-exertion sightseeing options.
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