Museum of Free Derry

The Museum of Free Derry sits in the heart of the Bogside, just yards from Free Derry Corner and the famous murals of the People's Gallery. It tells the story of the civil rights era in Derry from the late 1960s through to the early 1970s, focusing on the events that gave the area its name during the period when residents declared an autonomous zone known as Free Derry.

The museum was established by the Bloody Sunday Trust and traces the origins of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland, the Battle of the Bogside, internment and, most significantly, the events of 30 January 1972, when British paratroopers shot 26 unarmed civilians during a civil rights march, killing 14. Exhibits include personal belongings of those who died, photographs, original banners and placards, audio testimony from witnesses and material gathered during the long Saville Inquiry that eventually led to a formal apology from the British government in 2010.

The displays are presented with care and restraint, letting objects and first-hand voices carry the weight of the story. A visit pairs naturally with a walk around the surrounding streets, the Bloody Sunday Memorial and the city walls, offering one of the most powerful introductions to recent Irish history available anywhere in the country.