Latest / The History of Ireland: Rebellion, Empire, and Independence — Fexingo History / The Siege of Derry 1689: Williamite War and Protestant Resistance
Transcript
- Lucas: So Luna, we've covered a lot of ground in Irish history — plantations, rebellions, famines. But there's one event that's become a cornerstone of Ulster Protestant identity, and it's a story of sheer stubbornness against overwhelming odds: the Siege of Derry in 1689. Luna: The one with the apprentice boys and 'No Surrender'? Lucas: Exactly. That phrase — 'No Surrender' — still echoes in Northern Irish politics today. But the actual siege was a brutal 105-day ordeal. It all started when the Catholic King James II, who had been deposed in England, landed in Ireland with French support to reclaim his throne. The Protestant stronghold of Derry became a key target. Luna: So Derry was a Protestant city in a mostly Catholic country? Lucas: Right. Derry, or Londonderry as the Plantation settlers called it, was a walled city on the River Foyle, built by the London guilds. It was a bastion of Protestantism in Ulster. In December 1688, thirteen apprentice boys — just teenagers — seized the city gates and locked them against an approaching Jacobite regiment. That act of defiance set the stage. Lucas: By April 1689, King James himself appeared outside the walls with an army of perhaps 20,000 men, mostly Irish Catholics and French regulars. Inside Derry, the defenders numbered around 7,000, but many were armed civilians. The governor, Robert Lundy, was a professional soldier but he was deeply pessimistic about their chances. In fact, he secretly advised surrender. Luna: Wait — so the governor wanted to give up? Lucas: He did. Lundy even tried to negotiate a surrender. But the townspeople, led by clergymen like George Walker and Major Henry Baker, saw it as betrayal. They deposed Lundy and appointed Baker and Walker as joint governors. Lundy escaped disguised as a soldier, and his name became synonymous with treachery — to this day, 'Lundy' is a term of abuse in Derry. Lucas: The siege began in earnest. James's forces surrounded the city, cutting off supplies. The defenders had only a few weeks of food. They survived on tallow, horseflesh, and even rats. Disease — typhus and dysentery — killed far more than enemy fire. By July, the city was starving, and relief seemed impossible. Luna: Wasn't there a relief fleet? Lucas: Yes, and that's the dramatic climax. The Williamite navy, under Major-General Percy Kirke, arrived in Lough Foyle in June with supply ships. But the Jacobites had built a boom — a heavy chain of timber and iron — across the River Foyle, just below the city walls. Kirke hesitated for weeks, wary of the boom and the shore batteries. Lucas: Finally, on July 28, Kirke ordered the Dartmouth, a frigate, to bombard the Jacobite positions while the merchant ship Mountjoy, under Captain Micaiah Browning, rammed the boom. The Mountjoy broke through, followed by the Phoenix. They brought food and ammunition. The Jacobites, demoralized, lifted the siege the next day. Luna: So the city survived, but at what cost? Lucas: About 8,000 people died inside Derry during the siege — roughly two-thirds of the population. Most from starvation and disease. Outside, Jacobite losses were also heavy, perhaps 5,000. The siege cemented the Protestant 'No Surrender' ethos and became a founding myth for Ulster Unionism. Luna: And what happened to King James after that? Lucas: He retreated south and was decisively defeated at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 by William III. The war continued until the Treaty of Limerick in 1691, which allowed Catholic Irish soldiers to go into exile — the Flight of the Wild Geese. But the aftermath saw the Penal Laws, which stripped Catholics of land, rights, and education for over a century. Lucas: The Siege of Derry is still commemorated every year by the Apprentice Boys of Derry, who march around the walls. The phrase 'No Surrender' remains a potent political slogan. It's a reminder of how a single event in the 17th century continues to shape identities and divisions in modern Ireland. Luna: It's incredible how a story from 1689 still resonates today. Lucas: Absolutely. History isn't just the past — it's the foundation of the present. And the Siege of Derry is a perfect example of that.