Derry Travel Guide For The ‘Derry Girls’ Experience

With the rise of pop culture tourism, or “set-jetting,” travelers have flocked to Sicily to live out their “White Lotus” fantasies, followed in the footsteps of Ted Lasso in Richmond, London, and marveled at those epic “Yellowstone” vistas in Montana. “Game of Thrones” and its spinoffs have notably boosted the profile of multiple destinations in Croatia, Spain and even the eerie corners of Northern Ireland.

But when I think of pop culture in Northern Ireland, another show comes to mind: “Derry Girls.”

In 2020, I was one of countless people who turned to binge-watching TV as a way to find some joy. Although I discovered many wonderful shows during this time, my absolute favorite by far was Lisa McGee’s sitcom about a group of teens in Derry (“or Londonderry, depending on your persuasion”) in the mid-to-late ’90s.

Juxtaposing the violence of the Troubles with the lightheartedness of teen life, “Derry Girls” presents a perfect blend of humor and heart with its hilarious high jinks and one-liners, as well as genuinely tear-jerking moments. The music, acting, character development and world-building are all fantastic — I really just cannot say enough good things about this show.

Although “Derry Girls” ended in 2022, it very much remains in the zeitgeist as stars like Nicola Coughlan continue to make headlines and bring new audiences to the show. The release of “Say Nothing” ― another series set in Northern Ireland (albeit with a very different tone) ― last month also brought “Derry Girls” back into the conversation.

For my part, I keep all 19 episodes of the show on my evening rewatch rotation. So when I was invited to attend a friend’s wedding in Ireland in July, I knew I wanted to explore more of the island after the festivities ― and, more specifically, to take a trip up north.

And so began my pilgrimage to Derry.

I coordinated my trip though a travel company called Brendan Vacations, and they set me up with a local tour guide named Gerry Lynn, who grew up in Derry and has an encyclopedic knowledge of its history. He lived through the Troubles and even had the opportunity to meet U.S. President Bill Clinton during his famous 1995 visit.