Creggan, Derry

Creggan (Irish: An Creagán; meaning stony place) is a large housing estate in Derry, Northern Ireland, on a hill not far from the River Foyle. It lies on the townlands of Ballymagowan and Edenballymore.

The estate is very close to the border with County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland.

History

The Troubles

The civil rights movement that was occurring in Northern Ireland in the late 1960s took place consistently in Derry. This led to an outbreak of violence between the police, local Unionist Supporters and Nationalists. Violence in the city originally started in the Bogside but quickly spread out to the rest of the city, which included Creggan. One of these occurrences during 12 to 14 August 1969 became known as the Battle of the Bogside. A disagreement over defending Nationalists from British State forces and elements of Unionism led to a split in the IRA, and the two new paramilitary organizations became known as the Official IRA and Provisional IRA.

In the early years, 1969 to 1972, the Officials were the most prominent in Creggan and the rest of Northern Ireland with militant members carrying attacks out on the British Army, even though the Provisionals as a whole were carrying out a more violent campaign along with a bombing campaign in Derry City Centre. Following the introduction of internment without trial being carried out by the British government, as well as Civil Rights protests in Derry that turned into intense rioting with the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), the Bogside and Creggan areas effectively became a no-go area for the British government along with the RUC and were only controlled and policed by both wings of the IRA. This all existed until Operation Motorman in July 1972. After this, the no-go area across Northern Ireland became fully controlled by the British government.