Castle Hill in Dungannon was always sealed off, occupied by the army base and covered in masts and…read moreblast walls. thankfully the peace process saw the army move out, leaving the hill ready to be opened to the public once more. I never tire of climbing to the top of the hill and seeing the amazing panoramic views for miles around - all 9 counties of Ulster visible on a clear day or so they say! You really get a sense of how this was in days gone by a place of such power and influence. In recent years the hill has been beautifully landscaped and made more accessible through the opening of the Ranfurly House development. This contains a really good interpretive centre on the O'Neills, the flight of the Earls and the more recent history of the area, a cafe and the Square Box theatre space. There are galleries and meeting rooms too. The cafe is excellent with locally sourced treats and food, great sandwiches and soups and an amazing range of proper barista coffees and teas which is unmatched in the town. Quite reasonably priced too and the fact that its fairly quiet shows that this little gem is a bit too well hidden! The hill continues to develop with a new event space and viewing platform about to open to the public which will hopefully bring more visitors and acts to this part of the world!

After doing a walking tour, we decided to continue exploring the city by heading to the Derry…read moreMurals. I didn't know what to expect or have any expectations, so as we walked along I found the murals very impressive and depicted Derry's history very well. It's hard to imagine that the conflict, violence, poverty, starvation, and political/religious division occurred such a short time ago. It certainly felt like things were on the up and up now but we heard that the unemployment levels continue to big a huge hurdle for Derry. You can tell that the residents of Derry really care about their town and have a personal attachment to the impact of recent events. I was certainly influenced to learn more about Derry, its history and their people and would encourage anyone else to do the same before visiting. One of the most popular murals doesn't necessarily have a direct tie to the political history of Derry, but is a representation of Derry's growing popularity due to pop culture, and that's the Derry Girls mural. The artists really do a good job and this one felt new and vibrant (and obviously super cute).

Very powerful image as you enter Derry. Surrounding areas of the Bogside are all about this wall…read more Many more murals are in this area as well and there are several points of interest relating to Bloody Sunday and the murder of the Irish civilians by the British Army. A must see when you're in Derry

The last stop on our way around town was over to the Peace Bridge, which has only been erected…read moreabout 6 years ago. It is a unique bridge and symbolizes the ongoing peace between Free Derry and old Derry beliefs. It is a pedestrian bridge and wasn't too busy while we visited. Just as we got going to cross the bridge it became very windy and started to rain. We took this as a sign to quickly cross and find a place for lunch. Funny enough when we would cross the bridge again later that day, it started to rain again! Only went we crossed the one direction but both times while most of the rest of the time we were in Derry, we did not get rained on at all and leaving the bridge was dry. Once over the bridge, we could tell that the area was newer and still under construction to attract people to visit that part of the town. We decided on lunch at the Embankment and also went back to the area for drinks at the Walled City Brewery.

Beautiful pedestrian bridge that open round the clicker every day. Spectacularly designed. WHIRLED…read morePEAS PLEASE!

A great reminder of the 10 men who unselfishly gave their lives for Irish people all over the…read moreworld. tiocfaidh ár lá

Worth a look round if your driving past. Parking and information. If you park and walk to the site…read moreit is quite steep!