“The legacy of being City of Culture 2013 is life and place changing for Derry~Londonderry drawing

us from a turbulent disputed past as a European City, which is child friendly and has greatly reduced

its inequalities.” (Source UK City of Culture Bid, 2010)

Derry~Londonderry set out to win the UK City of Culture 2013 title so that it could tell ‘a new story’ to

the world. If success is to be measured by the thousands of words written and spoken all over the

world since then, this objective has been met and surpassed.

Derry~Londonderry has done almost everything it said it would do in its bid to become inaugural UK

City of Culture. It delivered on the four components highlighted for 2013 and realised most of the step

changes identified in its submission. The legacy of the year is evidenced both by the physical

transformation of the city and by the positive outlook of its citizens. Furthermore, there are a number

of other ‘positives’ to be taken from the year which should ensure UK CoC 2013’s longer-term legacy.

These include increased audiences for major events; successful collaboration between regional and

local government and key agencies; venue improvements; new local and international relationships;

and a strengthened cross-community ethos.

Undoubtedly, though, there are lessons to be learned from UK CoC 2013 in order to help secure its

legacy and assist similar initiatives here and elsewhere. One obvious lesson is the importance of

continuing to invest in areas such as Destination Marketing to achieve even greater impact in future.

More coverage on network television and radio, from both London and Dublin, would have been

desirable.

Nevertheless, as this report shows, UK City of Culture 2013 was acclaimed a great success by critics

and by the community. When its people first decided to bid to become the inaugural UK City of

Culture, the very designation presented a challenge. However, the task of putting together a

programme which engaged people in authentic, ground-breaking partnerships proved a striking

success. In all of the decisions which followed, there is impressive evidence of what works in the city

and of what can work, in future, as we focus on Legacy.

Fulfilling the Original Bid

The original bid identified four main programme components:

o Unlocking creativity

o Creative connections

o Digital dialogue

o Creating a new story

Overall these were successfully met. It is worth noting that regional and local government and key

agencies pulled together to create a very impressive and imaginative bid.

In terms of the qualitative feedback on the cultural content and quality of the overall programme,

those qualified to make judgements – locally, nationally and internationally – were lavish in their

praise.

With a project on this scale, it is perhaps inevitable that there will be missed opportunities. The city

should have featured more in network broadcast output from London and Dublin. Distance – from

London in particular – may have been a factor. However, future projects should invest more effort in

securing early formal commitments from broadcasters.

Feedback on the final bid reported: “Links to and impact on the rest of the UK (especially Great Britain)

– the bid and its ideas have the potential to offer important learning (such as in measuring impacts, or

the use of digital technologies in culture) to other cities in the UK. There is a danger that this could be

lost sight of in the development of the bid.”1 In this evaluation, this observation is noted to assist other

small cities consider how they might get national media to engage more in future.

In its original bid Derry~Londonderry drew strength from its history, choosing not to avoid past

conflicts but rather to embrace them as a source of inspiration. This was a strong element in the

success of the project, as was evident in subsequent media analysis.

The passion and commitment of the city and its supporters (including the private sector, all political

parties and all communities) were core strengths of the original bid.

The city delivered most of the step changes thought likely on foot of the UK City of Culture 2013

designation. There is evidence of these successes throughout this report, although more research

could possibly be useful. There may be merit in commissioning some longitudinal research to further

measure the designation’s impact in helping to create a new narrative about the city. Regionally it is

acknowledged that community benefits – including helping to heal past wounds, social benefits and,

to a lesser extent, economic benefits – undoubtedly accrued not just to Derry~Londonderry but to the

region as a whole.

In 2013 a Legacy Plan was developed by Council, which set out five broad themes for continued

investment. It was developed for all stakeholders and, in addition to Council funding of £2m, DCAL

invested over £6m in Legacy projects with further dedicated Legacy funding from Arts Council of

Northern Ireland (ACNI), the Big Lottery and the Community Foundation for NI (through the Acorn

1 Feedback on Full and Final Bid from Derry/Londonderry – Regeneris Consulting

Fund). Other investment has been realised through private sector projects and public sector

interventions. Many cultural organisations and projects have continued without any public sector

finance. The following sections are designed to provide some insight into the legacy generated by City

of Culture 2013.

Regeneration Legacy

The UK CoC 2013 bid was strongly wedded to the regeneration plan for Derry~Londonderry and the

outcome of major investment in the city. In evaluation terms, the completion of the Guildhall

restoration, major public realm improvements along the riverfront, the Ebrington Square

transformation and the Peace Bridge have all contributed to considerable renewal in formerly

dilapidated areas of the city. This is most evident around the Walled City. The urban renewal which

followed this regeneration investment has transformed public space previously regarded as

‘dangerous’ into safe, active civic space used by local citizens. The city has had numerous awards

bestowed upon it for these recent regeneration efforts, with the Guildhall receiving ten accolades for

its £10m restoration programme in 2012/13, and the Peace Bridge receiving a further 19 awards and

commendations from around the globe. The most recent was a Great Places Award from the Academy

of Urbanism in November 2015. The Peace Bridge is one of ten UK bridges celebrated on Royal Mail

stamps. The first class stamp is an unusual and effective way of maintaining market awareness of the

city and communicating its positive regeneration story.

The city has acquired numerous new venue spaces for legacy, including the development of St

Columb’s Park Stadium as an outdoor city centre concert venue capable of accommodating up to

35,000 people. The outdoor space at the Craft Village has been transformed with a new canopy and

provides a flexible, all-weather performance space. Since its completion, the Foyle Arena has been

serving as a major public venue with an indoor audience capacity of 2,000 people. The iconic and

architecturally stunning St Columb’s Hall, has been restored following an injection of private sector

finance and now functions as a significant music and business event space. Further expansion of this

building is planned, including a new restaurant and nightclub. The recently completed visitor centre

at the Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall (Seize Museum) and the Museum of Free Derry are tangible

signs of a city making its troubled past an asset.

Cultural regeneration projects have also been delivered successfully since 2013. The contemporary art

gallery VOID has moved into the first floor of the old City Factory in Patrick Street; it now boasts one

of the largest visual arts spaces in Ireland with over 100,000 sq ft available for programming and

exhibitions. The City Factory, which was one of the last to produce shirts in the city, has received

support from Council and from ACNI, and now hosts international visual art exhibitions by world

renowned artists. During 2013, the City Factory was 30% occupied but – with the cultural renaissance

nurtured by organisations such as VOID and the Nerve Centre, as well as individual artists including

Rita Duffy, Margo Harkin and Willie Doherty – it now has a number of tenants, provides excellent

employment opportunities and is over 70% occupied.

After years in temporary rented space, Echo Echo Dance has found a permanent city centre home at

Magazine Street where it has developed its own dance studio in the two upper floors of Waterloo

House. The beautiful, historic building, which is accessible directly from the city’s historic Walls at

Magazine Street, houses two purpose-built dance studios, one with performance capability, and a

range of office and ancillary spaces, Following the huge success of pop-up galleries in 2013, new

spaces for exhibitions have been developed including the privately-owned Warehouse Gallery and the

Social Hub through Invest NI, while ACNI has supported the development of new artists’ studio spaces

at the Creative Villages Centre in Pump Street.

In recent years the city has become renowned for producing talented young fashion designers who invariably leave to join international fashion houses. The success of the 2013 fashion and craft programme encouraged the Inner City Trust to establish the Fashion and Textile Design Centre in 2014, in formerly derelict premises in Shipquay Street. The venture was supported by Derry and Strabane District Council and aims to establish a centre of excellence, create employment through designer-led services and niche manufacturing, grow the economy and showcase our creative strengths. Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin has secured the former Great James Street Manse and the Glassworks, both of

which have undergone significant renovations as part of a continued expansion of their Irish language,

arts and cultural centre. However, the most significant ongoing regeneration project is at Ebrington.

The site has seen the relocation of the DoE’s Planning Office headquarters during the autumn of 2014,

the opening of the Walled City Brewery and Ollie’s restaurant in 2015, and the completion of a 214-

space underground car park. Further projects are planned including the £11m maritime visitor and

genealogy attraction. Ebrington Square continues to host events and since its opening in 2012 more

than 200 community, private and public sector events have been held there. The regeneration of

buildings there continues, with businesses cases being advanced for new Grade A office

accommodation worth £11m, as well as significant leisure based projects including a hotel and

distillery.

Leading up to 2013, the city witnessed a 13% increase in accommodation stock with a new hotel

development by Premier Inn and expansion by the City Hotel. Other options increased, too, with the

establishment of new bed-and-breakfast accommodation as well as self-catering units. Hotel

expansion has continued since, with the opening of two new boutique hotels in iconic, listed, city

centre-buildings, providing more than 70 additional rooms. The latest, Bishop’s Gate Hotel, opened in

February 2016. The hotel sector is to expand further with a projected 40% increase in hotel capacity

by 2020.

Other tangible legacy infrastructure includes Tim Etchells’ ‘Stitch in Time’ art installation on the

Rosemount Shirt Factory and the forthcoming Teenage Kicks art installation (both from the 2013

Lumiere Light Festival and DCAL-funded). New equipment has been bought for the Derry Print

Workshop which provides resources for professional artists and the wider community, including

intaglio, relief and digital printing facilities. The circus and street performance company In Your Space

has created a new circus school.

At a European level, Derry~Londonderry was selected as a case study under a European Commission

initiative called ‘Culture for cities and Regions’ in partnership with KEA-European Affairs and ERRIN

(European Regions Research and Innovation Network). This was in recognition of the success of City

of Culture and where the cultural investments contributed substantially to the local development of

the city. This initiative has promoted Derry~Londonderry to a European audience (including all EU

institutions) and has encouraged the exchange of experiences and promoted a meaningful transfer of

local practices.

Cultural Programme Legacy

The vision of the Culture Company was to create a programme that would set a benchmark for the

first UK City of Culture: it would be outstanding in terms of quality and impact; it would be of national

and international interest; and it would have a lasting and positive impact in the city’s most

disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Many of the cultural organisations in the city established new

relationships during 2013 and have developed collaborative partnerships locally and internationally

since then. One excellent example concerns the Centre for Contemporary Art which developed many

successful relationships and, during 2015, secured its status as a member of the Plus Tate network as

a direct legacy of the city hosting the Turner Prize in 2013

There was significant investment in theatre productions during 2013 and the impact of this is still being

felt. The Return of Field Day led to the inaugural Seamus Deane Honorary Field Day Lecture; Field Day

also premiered their Sam Shephard play ‘A Particle of Dread’ in Derry before taking it on tour to New

York. Sole Productions Company produced the critically acclaimed Pits and Perverts by Michael

Kerrigan, and completed a hugely successful tour of the UK; it premiered in the United States in

September 2015 and ran there for five weeks. The return of ‘Over the Wire' by Seamas Keenan in 2015

received national attention. Audiences surrounded a bespoke prison fencing company's real prison

cage in Dublin, and witnessed the story of five men's fight for survival in Long Kesh prison in 1974. The

Sunday Times praised the “story of paranoia [which] unfolds in a suitably pressurized setting” and the

Derry cast “developing the story within [the] iron clad cube’. The Sunday Times acclaimed it as “a gritty

and stylish piece of theatre from Derry's Playhouse".

In 2013, Northern Ireland’s first dedicated dance and movement festival was created in Derry by Echo

Echo and the festival will return for a third outing, including more than 60 performances over ten days.

This has become an incredibly popular festival and seeks to become a permanent fixture in Derry and

Northern Ireland’s cultural calendar.

Many home-grown initiatives have expanded beyond the city and are now popping up all over

Northern Ireland. The Verbal Arts Centre’s Reading Room started in early 2013 as a simple idea to

build a love and appreciation of reading. The project engaged initially with 17 men on a health project;

since then it has grown substantially with Reading Rooms now appearing in schools, homes, youth

clubs, commercial premises and a prison. The latest twist on the project has seen Reading Rooms

going mobile, as the Verbal Arts Centre seeks to engage more people in local communities and rural

areas.

There have been many obstacles to sustaining cultural programming, most notably the intense

competition for diminishing financial resources. While Council and ACNI developed a dedicated fund

to support cultural programming in 2014 and 2015, the arts and cultural sector has been heavily

impacted by the cuts in central government funding. This has seriously affected many organisations’

viability and the resourcefulness of the sector has been tested. Some cultural organisations have

reported a drop in audiences since 2013. DCAL and Audience NI responded by hosting a dedicated

workshop in the city to build knowledge and capacity on developing and sustaining audiences.

Music programming has continued to flourish, with Derry~Londonderry hosting the International Pan

Celtic Festival in 2014 and 2015, leading to the inaugural Derry International Music Festival in February

2016. The festival has been shortlisted for the Best NI Event in the NI Tourism awards for 2016, in

recognition of its contribution to the tourism sector. In October 2015, the City of Derry International

Choral Festival – then in its third year – hosted ten choirs from eight countries. Its highlights included

a 300 strong local children’s choir performing Bluebottle, accompanied by the Ulster Orchestra.

Following the enormous success of MTV Crashes in 2014, local private sector promoters collaborated

with MTV to bring MTV Club Night to the city for three consecutive years. This event demonstrated

the city’s ability to generate a paying audience for music events: in each of its years, more than 9,000

people paid £24.50 to attend the event in Ebrington Square. BBC Radio 1 One’s Big Weekend also

helped to establish Ebrington Square as a major concert venue. The Square is regularly used now or

music and other cultural events.

Creative use has even been made of the underground car park at Ebrington. It has become known

locally as ‘The Bunker’ and local events company Jika Jika! have used it as a pop up dance venue to

showcase international DJs. Other music promoters have enjoyed success and promised more live

music events for 2016. Music City Day returned in 2014 and 2015 and has now become a three-day

music extravaganza. The home-grown festival takes music of all genres onto streets and into

workplaces, churches, traditional venues and neighbourhoods. The BBC has supported the event with

programming and broadcast opportunities. Many of our talented young people have created career

pathways in music, and one of our rising stars, SOAK (aka Bridie Monds), received the Choice Music

Award as well as winning the Irish Album of the Year award.

The Nerve Centre has carried on the outstanding Musician in Residence Programme, which brought

Neil Cowley to the City in 2013. David Lyttle took up the residency in 2015. Programming such as Talent

North West, Music Hothouse Programme and Jazz Masterclasses, to name but a few, have provided

tuition and showcase opportunities for local musicians.

The city’s events calendar is now peppered with successful annual features such as the SSE Walled

City Marathon, which has attracted huge numbers of local and international athletes and contributed

to almost 100% hotel occupancy locally. The LegenDerry Food Festival in 2014 involved 14 local

restaurants and 20 artisan food producers, and attracted 36,000 visitors. In 2016 the City and District

is hosting multiple food events under the auspices of the Year of Food for NI, consolidating our

reputation as a ‘must see’ and experience food destination.

Since 2012, all of the city’s key events have enjoyed audience growth – notably the Banks of the Foyle

Halloween Festival and the St Patrick’s Day Springtime Carnival which have doubled their numbers

since 2012. One noteworthy legacy feature has been the organisers’ ability to enhance the event

experience by engaging with external partners. Both events benefit now from substantial commercial

involvement and partnership, with as much non-council led content as council led.

Humdinger! Children’s Story Festival, has established itself as an annual celebration, playing host to

Oliver Jeffers, Julia Donaldson and more than 20,000 children and families since 2013. Relationships

established with national organisations have continued to grow such as the Women of the World

Festival’s with the Southbank Centre in London.

The city has built on its experience of hosting multi-dimensional and multi-art form events since the Return of Colmcille and Lumiere in 2013. Large civic cultural events such as Halloween have extended their ambition, with the traditional Carnival Parade and Fireworks complemented by the creative use of civic spaces such as the City Walls and art forms involving light, fire, sculpture and music. The new programming has now given the event international recognition culminating last year in the Best Halloween Destination in the World award from US Today. The events calendar is growing annually, with new features constantly being secured and hosted. In 2015, creative producers Artichoke brought Burning Man artist David Best to the city. People from across the community helped him build a beautiful shared structure, measuring 72ft high, which was then ceremonially burnt. Two late additions to the 2016 Calendar were the prestigious Ulster Rally, and the inaugural Hard as Oaks outdoor pursuits event. The Council is currently working on a major participant-led event for 2018 and is committed to developing further signature events as part of its new Festivals and Events strategy. DCAL funding of more than £1.5m since 2013 has supported many capital projects including the

purchase of buildings for An Cultúrlann, the Londonderry Bands Forum and Na Magha. Renovations

and refurbishments have been supported in the Museum of Free Derry, Gasyard, Rosemount Resource

Centre and the enhanced FabLab space at the Nerve Centre. All of these enhanced facilities are

supporting the development of new cultural programming, particularly within neighbourhoods.

Community Engagement Legacy

Community engagement was one of the greatest achievements of the City of Culture programme. The

Culture Company brought cultural activity to the hearts of our communities and neighbourhoods, and

removed barriers to participation.

The Community Engagement Programme continued during 2014, with DSD providing financial support

towards officer costs and DCAL and Council supporting programme costs.

Under DCAL Legacy, ten digital hubs were created across Derry and Strabane to extend outreach

programming and provide local communities with their own cultural focal points. The hubs continue

to be supported by a range of Council programmes which include digital skills training and STEM

activities. A community-owned, portable marquee allows local communities to host larger scale

events. This legacy venue is managed by the Gasyard Development Trust whose volunteers support

the delivery of community projects and initiatives.

DCAL has provided financial support for developing local cultural strategies. These will help to

prioritise community activities, support new funding applications and inform discussions around the

development of Local Plans under the overall Strategic Community Plan. This funding has also been

used to examine the feasibility of several proposals including the provision of new cultural hubs for

the Waterside and Ebrington.

A number of community-based venues have received financial support for programming through the

£1m DSD/Ilex City of Culture capital fund. These include Studio 2 — a centre run by Greater Shantallow

Community Arts who continue to extend the range and scope of cultural programming in Outer North.

The Droichead cross-community project is consolidating its 2013 success through ongoing

collaborations with the Londonderry Bands Forum and other PUL community groups. Its work resulted

in strong cross-community participation in the Pan Celtic Festival in 2014 and 2015 and in the Fleadh

Cheoil na hÉireann in Sligo in the same years. Music City 2015 and the 2016 Walled City Tattoo hosted

other showcase cross-community performances, providing further evidence of Community

Engagement Legacy.

Cultural engagement has continued to develop across the city and district since 2013. In 2014, the

Northern Ireland Sikh Association, which is based In Derry-Londonderry, received funding under the

ACNI’s Intercultural Arts Programme. Through two community youth arts projects and a 3-day festival

in May, the Association fostered intercultural engagement and promoted greater awareness of the

Sikh culture.

Derry-Londonderry continues to play a significant role in peace building and has the potential to

contribute further, both nationally and internationally, to ways of dealing with conflict and community

division. Events such as the Hope Beyond Hurt conference in 2014 and the David Best Temple project

in March 2015 advanced this major component of the original CoC bid.2 Thanks to additional DCAL

2 Healing Fire in Londonderry: The Temple Was Built to Burn - New York Times, March 27 2015

investment, the Divided by History, United By Music project is designing inclusive and shared activities

to commemorate the major events of 1916 — the Battle of The Somme and the Easter Rising.

The high level of schools’ engagement which characterised 2013 is continuing with the annual

Humdinger Children’s Book Festival, produced by Dog Ears, and two major children’s arts festivals

which were started earlier this year by CultureTech and the Waterside Theatre. The Eglinton-based

learning disability charity, Something Special, used its ACNI/DCSDC Legacy funding to present

C.H.O.R.A.L.E. (Creative Hub of Rhythmic and Legacy Enrichment) — a musical event that evolved from

collaborative, inclusive learning and skills development through the arts.

The 2015/16 Science and Innovation Programme — led by Council and resulting directly from City of

Culture legacy — has engaged more than 25,000 children and young people in STEM based activities.

In October 2015, Derry-Londonderry hosted Maths Week Ireland which was launched by the Minister

for Education. The Brick Wonders Exhibition and the Schools’ LEGO educational programme have also

proved hugely successful in supporting learning through maths.

Eight local schools and 120 pupils participated in the DCAL-funded Formula Derr E engineering

initiative, building their own electric Formula Goblin cars and competing in races at Nutts Corner,

Antrim and Ebrington. More than 160 young people took part in the Space Camp project and

succeeded in receiving a tweet from astronaut Chris Hadfield. Curious Communities, a year-long

community engagement programme, has brought fun-based STEM activities to local neighbourhoods.

In 2013, the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland developed a financial legacy for City of

Culture through its Acorn Fund. Over a five-year period, the Fund will support projects dealing with

disability, children, young people, social enterprise and those affected by rural isolation. The Fund is

backed by the Big Lottery, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and the Inner City Trust. A local philanthropy

initiative — the Giving Circle — comprises a group of women who pool personal donations and award

grants annually. Two recent recipients of Acorn Fund Inspire bursaries, Donna Marie Duddy and the

Plantin Band, performed at the 2015 MTV Club event at Ebrington Square.

Community engagement continues to be driven at local government level through the development

of the Community Plan and through the European Youth Capital 2019 bid, where more than 10,000

young people were actively involved in the bidding process. The bid was shortlisted to the final five

and was pipped at the post. Council is now progressing with a Year of Youth for 2019.

Economy and Tourism Legacy

Following the exceptional success of 2013, Derry City Council’s Legacy Promise established a number

of key objectives. These included continuing to support our creative economy, promoting cultural

tourism, and creating a sustainable cultural environment while enhancing the city’s profile.

There is no doubt that the positive images of Derry-Londonderry which were projected across the

world in 2013, have been hugely beneficial in promoting the city and district to potential investors.

More than 600 jobs have been located in the city in 2015/16. There is evidence to confirm that they

are a direct result of the positive impact of the City of Culture Year.

In July 2015, the creative hub Eighty81 opened at Ebrington, providing incubation space for creative

industries. The space is currently fully occupied by 16 businesses which employ more than 40 people.

The number working there is expected to rise to 100 in the coming months. Many other creative

industry projects have been advanced independently by local people.

Over the last four years the annual CultureTECH Festival — supported by Londonderry Chamber of

Commerce and the city’s key technology companies — was recognized as one of the major events in

the city’s calendar. This week-long celebration of digital, IT, music, multimedia and gaming technology

attracted 65,000 people in 2015. Two hundred events, attended by 34 community organisations and

86 schools, demonstrate the programme’s social outreach.

Through its Legacy Fund, the Council supported Visit Derry in purchasing specialised software for

researching and pursuing conference and events tourism. The city hosted many significant get-

togethers in 2014 and 2015 and attracted delegates from across Ireland and the UK. The most

significant events included the British Association of Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation

annual conference, the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis, NIPSA’s annual conference and the CoderDojo conference

which formed part of CultureTECH 2015.

The 30th World Congress of the International Association for Suicide Prevention will take place in the

city in September 2019. It will be our largest ever international conference and is expected to generate

£1.4m for the local economy.

After being judged by the Restaurants Association of Ireland as runner-up in Foodie Town Ireland,

Derry-Londonderry was chosen to host the 2016 Restaurants Association Annual Awards. It was also

selected to host the NI Receptionist of the Year Awards run by the NI Hotels Federation and bid

successfully to host the Tourism NI Awards for the first time.

At the 36th Tourism Awards Ceremony, the UK CoC accolade was acknowledged for redefining the

city’s tourism landscape and it won the Outstanding Contribution to Tourism award. In 2013, the

Lonely Planet listed Derry-Londonderry as one of the world’s Top Ten cities to visit.

Not surprisingly, the city has continued to experience increased hotel occupancy levels from the 2012

pre-City of Culture baseline, with a 14% growth reported in 2014. In research conducted by Queen’s

University Belfast, 72% of respondents indicated that they were visiting Derry~Londonderry for a

holiday and 90% reported that they were either very or quite satisfied with their visit.

“The city has in the lead up to, during and post 2013 undergone a physical and civic transformation.

This re-imaging has demonstrated how the development of the tourism and cultural sectors can

stimulate growth within the city's economy and ensure a continued positive legacy post 2013".

(Odhran Dunne, Visit Derry)

The city has become more accomplished at combining local enterprises and events in order to develop

markets and attract new customers. In 2014, Council established the inaugural Fashion Fest and

Culture Craft projects, bringing businesses to audience-focused events and attracting new visitors to

the city.

The leisure and entertainment industry has continued to grow with many new restaurants and bars

opening in the city centre and at Ebrington. During 2015, the private sector invested £2m in

refurbishing licensed premises with further investment planned for additional accommodation.

Marketing and Digital Legacy

The ambition for our marketing legacy was to create a new, positive narrative that would represent

Derry-Londonderry worldwide as a beautiful city. There are few urban centres which boast the

attractions of a historic walled city, different cultural traditions and an inspirational story of peace

building.

Since 2013, it has been clear that our success in telling ‘a new story’ and securing international brand

awareness has converted passing interest into growing visitor and tourist numbers. The city and region

have been strongly endorsed as a visitor destination, most notably by the Lonely Planet Guide, United

Airlines, British Airways, LateRooms.com, The Irish Times and The Sydney Morning Herald. Derry-

Londonderry was runner up in the Foodie Town Ireland 2015 award and beat off global competition

to be designated the Best Halloween Destination by USA Today.

Additional resources are required, however, for Destination Marketing, and greater impact could be

achieved through collaborative approaches. Opportunities for developing bespoke visitor packages

and attracting new audiences have not yet been fully realised.

Throughout 2013, the leadership of organisations such as the Nerve Centre and CultureTECH took

advantage of the exciting opportunities offered by digital technologies in the city. The Nerve Centre’s

Digital Book of Kells project was one of the key educational programmes. More than 900 primary

schoolchildren benefited from the chance to help design and create a Book of Kells for the 21st

century. Educators across the city were trained and supported in delivering creative digital projects;

the strategic nature of this initiative meant that teachers and learners alike have received valuable

and transferable digital skills.

The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) worked directly with the Nerve

Centre to produce a suite of digital learning resources which highlight the life and legacy of the iconic

Colmcille. The resources included an iPhone App examining Colmcille's cultural legacy, an interactive

website — ‘Colmcille: Life and Legacy’, a series of short films and free bilingual eBooks.

Teachers involved in the Digital Book of Kells project continue to share newly acquired skills by training

their colleagues. In ongoing support for this digital legacy, the Nerve Centre has published a guide to

making quality animations using iPads. The free resource for teachers — Creating Animation in the

Classroom: A Step By Step Interactive Handbook — takes users through the entire process of planning

a story, creating characters and backdrops, managing the shoot and finally editing the film together.

There is clear evidence of digital legacy in our schools with teachers reporting that they are more

confident about leading digital education, and learners displaying a greater enthusiasm for it.

Technology festivals have engaged ever-increasing numbers of young people. The Minecraft

tournament in CultureTECH 2014, for example, was enjoyed by 15,792 players. The Legacy Fund in

partnership with the private sector, Ilex and the Education Authority has support the continuous

development programme for teachers in the A’Level for Software Systems Design.

DCAL have prioritised digital legacy and have invested £50,000 in digital media equipment for

community hubs in the Derry, Strabane and Coleraine areas. The grant has been used to purchase

iMac computers, iPads and accessories, software, and music-making and film-editing technologies.

The equipment will be available to young people, community groups and centre users.

The Nerve Centre is managing a digital investment programme in 15 community venues across the

North West. The ongoing high level of demand for education programmes, and widespread

engagement and participation, are evidence of a strong digital legacy benefit.

The Vision for 2030

Derry-Londonderry’s year as the first UK City of Culture is generally acknowledged as having been a

triumph for the city and its people. The challenge now is to consolidate and build on that success so

that the potential which was glimpsed in 2013 can be fully realised.

The legacy of City of Culture has been firmly embedded in the Community Plan. This Plan sets out the

region’s strategic goals for the next 10 to 15 years. It will ensure that resources are targeted in a way

which maximises the positive impact of 2013 and builds on the legacy already achieved.

The product on offer in this region needs more programming and marketing support if it is to satisfy

the clear demand among visitors for a cultural experience. Infrastructural investment in enterprise,

tourism and cultural projects will bring positive results.

Tourism growth will not be achieved through the domestic market alone. The road network which

connects the region to Dublin and Belfast, and the multi-modal transport hub are critical to the growth

of international tourism, skills and education, and foreign direct investment.

Proposals for improved transportation, the expansion of further and higher education and the

provision of all-weather family visitor attractions should be prioritised in line with the Community Plan

and the forthcoming Programme for Government.

2013 produced unprecedented opportunities for national and international connections which ought

to be nurtured. New tourism and cultural strategies should be developed to reflect the identity of the

city and region, and bring together urban and rural, and venues and arts.

Council has already increased its budget for hosting major events and festivals, following its

achievements in this area in 2013. The city and region should target more international accolades such

as European Capital of Culture 2023 and UNESCO status for our cultural product.

Events which could be built upon include the All-Ireland Fleadh, the Foyle Maritime Festival and the

UK’s largest Light Festival, Lumiere. Ideally, these would be developed in partnership with the private

sector to ensure sustainability and increase net economic benefit. Programmers and venue

administrators should collaborate to develop a calendar of events. Focused corporate and media

engagement strategies would be needed to underpin such activities and help with marketing and

communication.

While 2013 has been described – not surprisingly – as ‘the happiest year in the city’s history’, Derry-

Londonderry’s underlying economic and social difficulties remain. It would be unreasonable to expect

that a year-long City of Culture designation could have radically impacted the structural, political, and

societal challenges the city and region face. There is, however, measured and tangible evidence that

a majority of the population viewed the 2013 experience positively. The City of Culture was a huge

success that has left Derry-Londonderry physically and psychologically transformed.