Talk:County Londonderry

Note to editors: the agreed compromise for the Derry/Londonderry name dispute is that the city page shall be titled Derry and the county page shall be titled County Londonderry (see WP:DERRY for details).

Semi-protected edit request on 2 May 2025

It is County Derry, not Londonderry. 51.37.27.99 (talk) 15:23, 2 May 2025 (UTC)

Please provide reliable sources to back that up. All the reliable sources we already have say it was created as County Londonderry. Canterbury Tail talk 15:31, 2 May 2025 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 10 September 2025

County derry Jamesthetrue9999 (talk) 18:42, 10 September 2025 (UTC)

 Not done: It's not 100% clear but it looks like what you are proposing is the article is changed to "County Derry". See WP:DERRY for an explanation of why that will not happen. If that's not what you are asking, then please explain further below. --10mmsocket (talk) 19:13, 10 September 2025 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 3 December 2025

Article says County LondonDerry. This is incorrect as LondonDerry is a city within County Derry. ~2025-38256-79 (talk) 15:13, 3 December 2025 (UTC)

 Not done. We use WP:COMMONNAMEs here. NotJamestack (✉️|📝) 15:21, 3 December 2025 (UTC)

Irish and Ulster Scots translation in lead

According to WP:IMOS For places in Northern Ireland whose names are derived from English, the other names should only appear in the infobox along with a source.. Given County Londonderry is derived from English and County Derry is just a shortened form of County Londonderry I suggest the Irish and Ulster Scots translations are removed from the opening lead. What does everyone else think? C. 22468 Talk to me 16:17, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

Agreed. That is how it reads, and they are not originally other language names. Canterbury Tail talk 01:48, 29 December 2025 (UTC)

Entirely disagree, something that rarely happens with Canterbury Tail opinions. The counties, as the former and still historical (32 counties and all that) divisions of NI, should be present in Irish as well in all relevant sections of the article. And Londonderry is not derived from English, no, and is absolutely NOT a contraction of Londonderry - it is, as a quick bit of reading will confirm, a conflation of Derry, which is very much from the Irish, and long pre-dates Londonderry (=An Doire, of the oak tree) and London for the City of London merchants who contracted to build the new settlement across from the old Gaelic settlement of Doire. As this is quite clear, and significant, on a very sensitive topic (Coolguy22468, if not already seen, please refer to the extensive WP discussions of the Derry-Londonderry issue, and to be honest, you need to be much more careful of such issues when editing on Northern Ireland, and if you don't know the context, ask on Talk *before* acting - and yes, to be clear, I note that you did ask above, but you need to ensure you get a set of replies, going to WikiProject Ireland, for example)). To be further clear, Ulster Scots is not a factor in the existence of the names, but it should be prominent in major NI namings, but agreed, not those of every little place, as many simply did not have U-Scots names. SeoR (talk) 14:15, 7 January 2026 (UTC)

Sort of the City is indeed from the Irish name Dorie however with the county it was named after Londonderry which comes from the English Language. County Derry is just a shortened form of County Londonderry which was the name granted by James I in 1613. WP:IMOS is clear For places in Northern Ireland whose names are derived from English, the other names should only appear in the infobox along with a source. Given the county name is not derived from Irish or any other language for that matter the Irish and Ulster Scots translations should really only be in the infobox. C. 22468 Talk to me 00:37, 10 January 2026 (UTC)

Wrong, and worryingly, given how sensitive this topic is, you are not listening, as a few seconds work in any search engine, or any study of relevant texts would correct the above. 5 of the 6 county names in Northern Ireland are wholly derived from Irish, and the 6th is a hybrid - the old Irish-derived Derry (from Doire, oak), with London- attached in front, to reflect the charter. And, to repeat a past comment: "County Derry" is not an English-language contraction of "County Londonderry", it is the form preferred by many people on the island and beyond. And re. the title of this discussion, it is not a translation, it is an original native name. In Wikipedia, we have come to a compromise on article naming (MOS:DERRY), not least because the county was named Londonderry in the devising of its current form, but this does not change the fact that County Derry is direct from the Irish "Contae D(h)oire", or that it is the form used by a range of both organisations and people. I will thus put the Irish language form back - but can agree that the Ulster Scots form be only in the infobox, as that version was not concerned in the name's origins (I'd include Ulster Scots for all major placenames in NI, to respect sensitivities - and IMOS, like all WP guidelines, is not absolute - but OK, a separate debate). SeoR (talk) 00:58, 18 February 2026 (UTC)

Can you provide a link to show that the native name use for any of this? County Londonderry was formed from the County Coleraine as there was no County Londonderry or County Derry before this. I can't find any evidence of County Derry existing in that name before the current county was formed. There is no exception for sensitivities in WP:IMOS but if you want to raise it as an issue over there then feel free. The Irish translation is in the info box and later on in the article. WP:IMOS is clear For places in Northern Ireland whose names are derived from English, the other names should only appear in the infobox along with a source.. C. 22468 Talk to me 11:36, 18 February 2026 (UTC)

Have you looked into this topic as asked? I always try to assume good faith, but even the most cursory of checks would have disproved your latest edsum's claim of "no evidence" - as I've explained twice already, Doire (or Daire) is purely Irish, and Londonderry was simply made by sticking London- in front, as the sponsors of the new county of LD were livery companies of London. I am fully familiar with the county's history, and have been part of past debates on these and other tricky NI topics.

Evidence - OK, see Samuel Lewis in his great Topographical Dictionary in the 1840's, for example: it was originally and is still popularly called Derry, from the Irish Doire, which signifies literally "a place of oaks,", and dozens of websites and news articles, such as Roots Ireland - Genealogy - About Derry. After nearly 20 years here, I can assure you that most policy is open to some flexibility, and absolutely can take into account sensitivities. Just making assertions can interfere with delicate balances worked out over dozens of edits and discussions (being bold can sometimes be appropriate, but if challenged, there should discussion and consensus before re-assertion). There is a reason much NI-related editing is subject to special provisions. Also, for the sake of Wikipedia's reputation / perception of accuracy, we should reflect reality - and whether historically fully sound or not, "County Derry" is in use, and is wholly Irish-derived. I will not again revert your removal of the Irish naming in the text right now, I leave that to others, or yourself after you've studied the matter further. SeoR (talk) 00:29, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

The city was indeed officially called Derry before the London prefix was added in 1613, there has never been a County Derry the name County Derry is just a shortened form of County Londonderry abeit often shortened for political reasons. The present county was made up mostly of the former County Colraine in 1613 and used the name County Londonderry from the start, and Londonderry is a word which is of English language origin. WP:IMOS is clear For places in Northern Ireland whose names are derived from English, the other names should only appear in the infobox along with a source.. The is no exceptions for sensitivities. Having it in the info box is the correct way of doing things. C. 22468 Talk to me 01:33, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

My last comment on this is simple - "Londonderry" was not an English language word, but a portmanteau of the original name, Derry, and the name for the new "proprietors" - and anyway, where I placed the Irish form was not against Londonderry, but against "County Derry" which is purely Irish in origin. This becomes repetitive, and I do not understand why you are not hearing the points made, so I exit. SeoR (talk) 02:04, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 6 February 2026

Diversion on naming

Legal inaccuracy to Co. Londonderry naming convention: While British administrative law cites the 1613 and 1662 Charters, the Constitution of Ireland and the Government of Ireland officially recognize the county as . By defaulting to the UK's nomenclature, Wikipedia is taking a side in a sovereign dispute rather than maintaining neutrality. Cultural Erasure: The claim that "County Derry never existed" is factually misleading. The name has been the authentic identifier of the land for millennia. The current policy treats the Plantation of Ulster as the "Year Zero" of the county's history, effectively erasing the thousands of years of Irish continuity that predates English intervention. Widespread Usage: Organizations like the GAA, which operates on a 32-county basis, have used "Derry" for over 140 years. To label this "common usage" while calling colonial records "official" is a biased framing that ignores the institutions most central to the lives of the people residing there. Parity of Esteem: Under the Good Friday Agreement, the identity and naming conventions of the Irish community must be treated with equal respect. Wikipedia's refusal to acknowledge "County Derry" as a valid, primary title fails to uphold this international legal principle. ~2026-82493-6 (talk) 15:06, 6 February 2026 (UTC)

Not done. - Almost everything in the above is incorrect, and no sources have been provided to support any of it. Canterbury Tail talk 15:57, 6 February 2026 (UTC)