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Unionist anger as council begins bid to remove the ‘London’ from Derry

A sign on the main Belfast to Derry road. Picture by Charles McQuillan/Pacemaker
A sign on the main Belfast to Derry road. Picture by Charles McQuillan/Pacemaker A sign on the main Belfast to Derry road. Picture by Charles McQuillan/Pacemaker

Unionists have reacted angrily to the latest attempt to make Derry the official name of the city.

The new Derry City and Strabane District Council voted this week in support of a name change.

The London prefix was added when the city was granted a royal charter by King James I in 1613, an association celebrated by unionists but not recognised by nationalists.

In 1984 the name of the nationalist-controlled city council was changed to Derry but the city has continued to be officially known as Londonderry.

Derry and Strabane council will now to write to environment minister Mark H Durkan, who lives in the city, to seek clarification about how to change its official title.

Previous attempts to have the name formally changed have failed.

The issue came to a head in 2007 when a judge at the High Court in London ruled that it could only be done through legislation or royal prerogative.

In 2010, unionists and the SDLP on the old Derry City Council voted down an attempt by Sinn Féin to have the city's name changed.

Sinn Féin councillor Eric McGinley, who proposed the latest motion, said the name change is necessary.

"Unfortunately that proposal was defeated by the DUP and SDLP so we're simply revisiting the issue and (the) decision now seeks again to change the official name," he said.

"We have a clear view that the city needs a clear brand, one single name, one single identity would help promote the city around the world."

DUP councillor David Ramsey claimed the motion has created tension.

"If republican and nationalists politicians in the city are serious about equality and a shared future we should be celebrating our connection with London," he said.

"We should also be celebrating our diversity of our British and Irish cultures and history which includes the historical name Londonderry after the stonemasons who built the city.

"It creates sectarian tension and how does this reflect upon the nationalist republican goal to achieve a shared future?"

Ulster Unionist councillor William McCandless said the "official name of the city is Londonderry".

He claimed it is a name that "unites the two communities - London for the British tradition and Derry for the Irish tradition".

"Indeed many unionists are quite prepared to use 'Derry' as a shorthand term in everyday speech, but they are in no doubt that for official purposes the full name of the city is Londonderry," he said.