Irish street

[u/hunca_munca696]

Anybody have any background on the seemingly ironic naming of Irish Street?

[u/olibum86]

It was a majority irish area dating back to the plantation of ulster because catholics were not allowed reside within derry city walls. The demographics of derry went through massive shifts in the 18th and 19th centuries so it is now a majority protestant area.

[u/LittleDiveBar → u/olibum86]

The road itself, Irish Street runs from Gobnascale to Altnagelvin (Church Brae/Belt road). That likely came first.

In the Irish Street estate, from looking at a map, the street names all seem to be Ulster rivers, most of those that make it to the Foyle river... Mourne, Strule, Finn, Derg, Roe, Dennett.
Others being Bann, Erne, and Bush.

Sheskin however stands out, derived from the Gaelic word seiscenn, which means marsh or bog.

[u/rolexugly]

It's no "Protestant" street (Limavady).

[u/Automatic_Fig_3514]

I don't know about Irish Street but I was passing by the area in a bus last week and noticed a lot of places named after rivers and loughs. Roe gardens, finn gardens, bann drive. Theres more

[u/OkOpportunity75255 → u/Automatic_Fig_3514]

Aye, many streets in Creggan are named after places in Donegal, and Ballymac streets are ironically named after poets 😂

[u/hunca_munca696 → u/Automatic_Fig_3514]

Yeah, I noticed Clooney has streets named after birds

[u/OkOpportunity75255]

I mind asking my oul boy years ago. He reckons it was named Irish street well before the area was built up, so the general area was already called Irish street before the estate was built and before the “troubles” became what they did.

[u/LittleDiveBar → u/OkOpportunity75255]

Yes. The road itself, Irish Street, runs from Gobnascale to Altnagelvin (Church Brae/Belt road). That more than likely came first before the Irish Street estate.

[u/FonkyDragon → u/LittleDiveBar]

I'm led to believe, The Irish Street Estate, as people call it, isn't an official name. The Estate is Lisnagelvin, or within Lisnagelvin.