Photograph withheld pending rights review

Derry~Londonderry · Channel 4, 2018–2022 · the 1990s

Derry Girls

Five teenagers in 1990s Derry, and a letter that took 27 years to arrive.

Where this comes from

Jamie-Lee O’Donnell in a green sweatshirt with her hair up, giving a thumbs-up — Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, Michelle, 2019. National Lottery Good Causes · CC BY 3.0

Louisa Harland smiling into a webcam, in a pale shirt — Louisa Harland, Orla, 2021. Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival · CC BY 3.0

Nicola Coughlan, smiling, in a pale off-the-shoulder dress against a blue wall — Nicola Coughlan, Clare, 2024. US Luxury · CC BY 3.0

Bill Clinton and John Hume seated together, both smiling, in dark suits — Bill Clinton and John Hume, Derry, 1995. Sharon Farmer · Public domain

Derry, November 1995

Dear Chelsea

At 13, before the visit, Lisa McGee writes to Chelsea Clinton inviting her to see a film at the Strand cinema. She never gets a reply.

In the show the gang write to Chelsea too, but invite her to the wave machine at the local pool.

Where this comes from

Airmail letter · do not enclose anything

Chelsea Clinton
The White House
Washington DC, USA

To: Chelsea Clinton
From: Lisa, 13, Derry
Invitation: A film at the Strand cinema
Written: November 1995
Reply: —

P.S. write back

By air mail

Flat on the table: Lisa’s invitation, a film at the strand cinema. Fold it three times to make the envelope.

Three folds, three places.

Why write now: the President is coming to the Guildhall. Where we’re from: the walk to school. What we’d show you: the walls round the old city.

Guildhall Square, 30 November 1995

The letter
was real.

A platform in front of the Guildhall’s tall windows, a man at a lectern with the presidential seal, dignitaries seated behind — 30 November 1995: John Hume introduces President Bill Clinton outside the Guildhall, Derry. White House photograph by Sharon Farmer. Sharon Farmer White House Photograph Office · Public domain

The platform outside the Guildhall, 30 November 1995.

At 13, before the visit, Lisa McGee writes to Chelsea Clinton inviting her to see a film at the Strand cinema. She never gets a reply.

On 30 November 1995 Bill Clinton spoke outside the Guildhall: the first visit to Northern Ireland by an American president. People had queued in the cold for hours to hear him, and John Hume was there.

Inside, Clinton inaugurated the Tip O’Neill Chair in Peace Studies.

The council says the Guildhall has been at the heart of city life since 1890, and points visitors to its stained glass.

The square is open at all hours. The hall is open to visitors, with local guides telling its stories (Derry City and Strabane District Council).

Where this comes from

Inside and on top of the walls

Up on the walls.

The Honourable the Irish Society built the walls in 1613–1618; they run about 1.5 km round and stand up to eight metres high. The Department for Communities calls Derry the only fully walled city left in Ireland.

Where this comes from

A round stone turret with a barred window on the city walls, rooftops beyond — A turret on Derry’s walls looking out over the city, August 2007. zoocreative · CC BY-SA 2.0

Derry’s walls

There are four original gates, Bishop’s, Ferryquay, Butcher and Shipquay, and three added later, Magazine, Castle and New Gate. Twenty-four surviving cannon were restored in 2005; Roaring Meg sits on the double bastion.

Free and open to walk all the way round. Access is sometimes closed for works, so check before you go (Department for Communities).

Visit Derry

City walking tour, Martin McCrossan City Tours

Carlisle Road, Derry · £6 · 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00, March to November

An hour round the walls, every day, from 11 Carlisle Road beside Foyleside. No booking needed; it goes ahead in any weather.

See times

A stone triumphal-arch gateway with a road running through it — Bishop’s Gate, on the south-west side of the walls, in June 2025. Cutlass · CC0

Bishop’s Gate

Visit Derry’s Derry Girls screen-tour page tells fans to look out for Bishop’s Gate on the city walls, along with the Guildhall. It is one of the four original gates in the walls.

The gate stands over Bishop Street; walk through it, or climb to the walls beside it.

Where this comes from

Visit Derry

Bishop’s Gate Hotel

24 Bishop Street, inside the walls

A four-star hotel with 31 rooms in a listed building on Bishop Street, inside the walls by Bishop’s Gate. The photograph shows the gate, not the hotel.

See the hotel

A stone tower-house and an arched gate in the city wall — Magazine Gate and the Tower Museum, inside the walls, March 2023. Otter · CC BY-SA 4.0

The Tower Museum and the Derry Girls Experience

The Derry Girls Experience opened at the Tower Museum on Monday 3 July 2023, funded by Tourism Northern Ireland and the council.

Its props include the Spice Girls costumes, the Child of Prague statue and Ma Mary’s rosary beads. Visit Derry lists items from the Quinn household and a recreated set. Discover Northern Ireland adds Erin’s diary and the girls’ school uniforms.

The museum’s Story of Derry and Armada galleries are closed while a new museum is prepared at Ebrington Square, due in late 2027.

Open every day 09:00–17:00, last admission 16:00 (Visit Derry, 2026). Tickets: tower@derrystrabane.com or (028) 7137 2411.

Where this comes from

Visit Derry

The Derry Girls Experience, Tower Museum

Union Hall Place, Derry · Every day 09:00–17:00 · last admission 16:00

Props, costumes and a recreated set from the Quinn household, inside the walls.

Plan a visit

Photograph withheld pending rights review

Badgers Bar gable, Orchard Street, Derry BT48 6EG

The Derry Girls mural

Derry street artists UV Arts painted the five, Erin, Orla, Clare, Michelle and James, on the side of Badgers Bar.

They finished it in late January 2019, to celebrate the show coming back for a second series. Visit Derry says UV Arts is a local not-for-profit company and that the mural was commissioned by Channel 4.

On the side of Badger’s Bar, across from the Foyleside shopping centre. Free to see from the street; it is a short walk down from the walls.

Where this comes from

Visit Derry

Derry Girls Tour, Martin McCrossan City Tours

Orchard Street, Derry · £10 · under-12s free with an adult · Saturdays, April to October

A 90-minute guided walk that starts at the mural on Orchard Street and visits places from the show. Book ahead by email, phone or social media.

Book the tour

The Bogside, below the walls

A quarter, please.

Virgin Media places the outside of the shop where the girls buy crisps and sweets in the Bogside, near Free Derry Corner, and says the real shopkeeper is far friendlier than Dennis.

Where this comes from

An empty paper bag. Four scoops make a quarter.

A lone white-painted gable end with black lettering on a green — Free Derry Corner, in the Bogside, July 2018. August Schwerdfeger · CC BY 4.0

Free Derry Corner, the Bogside, Derry

Free Derry Corner and the wee shop

The words on the gable first appeared in 1969: Eamon McCann wrote them and John ‘Caker’ Casey repainted them. Visit Derry says the corner is now a focal point for campaigns of the present and future.

A lone gable on a green in the Bogside, downhill from the walls. Traffic runs on both sides: take photographs from the pavement.

Where this comes from

A classical stone church front with steps and three doors — St Columba’s, Long Tower, in May 2024. Visualising Heritage · CC BY-SA 2.0

Long Tower Street, Derry BT48 6JG

St Columba’s, Long Tower

Virgin Media says the outside of the weeping-statue church in the first series is St Columba’s, Long Tower; the inside is in Belfast.

Built in 1784–87 on the traditional site of the medieval Teampall Mor, it was the city’s first Catholic church after the Penal Laws were eased.

A working parish church just below the walls: visit quietly, outside service times.

Where this comes from

Rooftops of terraced streets spreading down a valley under grey sky — The Bogside from above, December 2015: Limewood Street, where the girls walk to school, is in this neighbourhood. Ian S · CC BY-SA 2.0

Limewood Street, west Derry

Limewood Street

Virgin Media names Limewood Street in west Derry as the street the girls walk along to school.

Lisa McGee told the New York Times that much of growing up in Derry was simply having to go a different way to school because of a bomb scare.

A street of homes: walk it on the pavement and leave the houses be.

Where this comes from

Derry outside, Belfast inside

Inside is Belfast.

Virgin Media says the inside of the weeping-statue church in the first series was filmed at St George’s.

Outside: St Columba’s, Long Tower, Derry.

105 High Street, Belfast BT1 2AG

St George’s Church

The inside of the weeping-statue church is filmed at St George’s.

Opened in 1816, it is the earliest surviving Episcopal church in Belfast; its portico came from Ballyscullion House in County Londonderry.

A working Church of Ireland parish church in the city centre: visit outside service times.

Where this comes from

Viator · Ad / affiliate

Belfast walking tours

Belfast

Live marketplace results for guided walks in central Belfast, near St George’s and John Long’s. None is a Derry Girls tour as such.

Live marketplace results · itineraries change

Compare tours

A wide suburban road with a cycle lane and trees — The Upper Lisburn Road at Finaghy, Belfast, May 2008: the south Belfast neighbourhood Hunterhouse College is in. Ross · CC BY-SA 2.0

Orpen Road, Finaghy, south Belfast

Hunterhouse College

Virgin Media says much of the action at Our Lady Immaculate College was filmed at Hunterhouse College, a real girls’ school.

It describes Hunterhouse as a cross-community grammar school founded in 1987.

A working school: see it from the road only, never the grounds, and never during the school day.

Where this comes from

Red-brick college buildings behind railings and trees on a main road — St Mary’s University College on the Falls Road, Belfast, April 2012. Eric Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0

Falls Road, west Belfast

St Mary’s University College

Some Our Lady Immaculate scenes were filmed at St Mary’s University College on the Falls Road, Virgin Media says. It notes that St Mary’s is a historically Catholic college linked to Queen’s University Belfast.

A working college: see it from the Falls Road.

Where this comes from

A red-brick building with a sign reading LONG’S fish and chips on a quiet side street — Long’s on Athol Street, Belfast, in September 2007. Albert Bridge · CC BY-SA 2.0

39 Athol Street, Belfast, near the Grand Opera House

John Long’s

John Long’s stood in for Fionnuala’s, the chippy in the second episode, with its stolen noticeboard and faked burglary.

It has been serving suppers since 1914, when John Long began selling fish and chips at the end of that year. It has had three owners in all, and in 2019 won a licence to serve beer and wine with meals for the first time.

A working chip shop on a side street near the Opera House; eat in or take away.

Where this comes from

May 1998, May 2022

Delivered.

The final special is set in 1998, the week of the Good Friday Agreement referendum, while Erin and Orla plan a joint 18th birthday party.

The vote is Yes, by 71.12 per cent, on a record turnout.

Where this comes from

Posted in the 1990s. Still no reply.

Where this comes from

Two bronze figures on a stone base, reaching towards each other — Hands Across the Divide at the west end of Craigavon Bridge, September 2017. David Dixon · CC BY-SA 2.0

West end of Craigavon Bridge, Derry

Hands Across the Divide

Hands Across the Divide is a pair of bronze statues by Maurice Harron at the west end of Craigavon Bridge. CAIN, Ulster University’s conflict archive, photographed them in April 1999, the year after the Good Friday Agreement vote.

On the roundabout at the city end of Craigavon Bridge; see it from the pavement or the bridge.

Where this comes from

Write back.
Where it all is now.

Where it is now

13 places you can visit, inside Derry’s walls, below them and in Belfast. No home is named, shown or pinned; the schools are seen from the road.

Pins mark public places; private homes are named but not pinned.

General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: area · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Free and open to walk all the way round. Access is sometimes closed for works, so check before you go (Department for Communities).
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. The gate stands over Bishop Street; walk through it, or climb to the walls beside it.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Open every day 09:00–17:00, last admission 16:00 (Visit Derry, 2026). Tickets: tower@derrystrabane.com or (028) 7137 2411.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. The square is open at all hours. The hall is open to visitors, with local guides telling its stories (Derry City and Strabane District Council).

Walkers on top of Derry’s walls in October 2021. N Chadwick · CC BY-SA 2.0
The city walls, round the old centre of Derry
Derry’s walls
The Honourable the Irish Society built the walls in 1613–1618; they run about 1.5 km round and stand up to eight metres high.
Free and open to walk all the way round. Access is sometimes closed for works, so check before you go (Department for Communities).
Where this comes from
Bishop’s Gate, on the south-west side of the walls, in June 2025. Cutlass · CC0
Bishop Street, Derry
Bishop’s Gate
Visit Derry’s Derry Girls screen-tour page tells fans to look out for Bishop’s Gate on the city walls, along with the Guildhall.
The gate stands over Bishop Street; walk through it, or climb to the walls beside it.
Where this comes from
Magazine Gate and the Tower Museum, inside the walls, March 2023. Otter · CC BY-SA 4.0
Union Hall Place, Derry BT48 6LU
The Tower Museum and the Derry Girls Experience
The Derry Girls Experience opened at the Tower Museum on Monday 3 July 2023, funded by Tourism Northern Ireland and the council.
Open every day 09:00–17:00, last admission 16:00 (Visit Derry, 2026). Tickets: tower@derrystrabane.com or (028) 7137 2411.
Where this comes from
The Guildhall from Guildhall Square, June 2023. Acediscovery · CC BY 4.0
Guildhall Square, Derry, just outside Shipquay Gate
The Guildhall and Guildhall Square
On 30 November 1995 Bill Clinton spoke outside the Guildhall: the first visit to Northern Ireland by an American president.
The square is open at all hours. The hall is open to visitors, with local guides telling its stories (Derry City and Strabane District Council).
Where this comes from

Stay

A night inside the walls.

A four-star hotel by Bishop’s Gate, on the street the gate stands over.

Visit Derry

Bishop’s Gate Hotel

24 Bishop Street, inside the walls

A four-star hotel with 31 rooms in a listed building on Bishop Street, inside the walls by Bishop’s Gate. The photograph shows the gate, not the hotel.

See the hotel

Go there

The mural, the walls, the museum.

A Derry Girls walk from the mural, an hour round the walls, the Tower Museum’s Experience, and marketplace tours in Derry and Belfast.

Visit Derry

Derry Girls Tour, Martin McCrossan City Tours

Orchard Street, Derry · £10 · under-12s free with an adult · Saturdays, April to October

A 90-minute guided walk that starts at the mural on Orchard Street and visits places from the show. Book ahead by email, phone or social media.

Book the tour

Visit Derry

City walking tour, Martin McCrossan City Tours

Carlisle Road, Derry · £6 · 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00, March to November

An hour round the walls, every day, from 11 Carlisle Road beside Foyleside. No booking needed; it goes ahead in any weather.

See times

Visit Derry

The Derry Girls Experience, Tower Museum

Union Hall Place, Derry · Every day 09:00–17:00 · last admission 16:00

Props, costumes and a recreated set from the Quinn household, inside the walls.

Plan a visit

Viator · Ad / affiliate

Belfast walking tours

Belfast

Live marketplace results for guided walks in central Belfast, near St George’s and John Long’s. None is a Derry Girls tour as such.

Live marketplace results · itineraries change

Compare tours

Viator · Ad / affiliate

Derry tours

Derry

Live marketplace results for guided tours in Derry, some of them about the show.

Live marketplace results · itineraries change

Compare tours

What’s on

Halloween in the walled city.

Derry Halloween runs for four nights from 28 October 2026.

Checking current event dates…

Take it home

Two books by Lisa McGee.

Her book of the show, and Erin’s diary.

Bookshop.org UK · Ad / affiliate

Derry Girls: The Official TV Tie-In

Lisa McGee

Lisa McGee’s own book of the show, 2020.

Find the book

Bookshop.org UK · Ad / affiliate

Erin’s Diary

Lisa McGee

Erin Quinn’s diary in book form, by Lisa McGee, 2022.

Find the book

Dates, prices, rooms and stock change: confirm with the provider before you travel or buy. A stay or tour is described as a filming location only where the card says so.

Write soon.

Where this comes from

Every place and moment behind this page, with sources. Filming places are named only where a source says so; the mural and the museum are places to visit, not places it was filmed.

Search all places and Moments Current state Sort

13 of 13 places · 24 of 24 Moments

Derry’s walls
The city walls, round the old centre of Derry
- Derry, the early 1990s
  Lisa McGee’s comedy is set in Derry in the early 1990s, during the Troubles; it runs to three series and 19 episodes.
- Cannon restored
  Twenty-four surviving cannon on the walls are restored.
Bishop’s Gate
Bishop Street, Derry
- Look out for the gate
  Visit Derry’s screen-tour page tells fans to look out for Bishop’s Gate and the Guildhall.
The Tower Museum and the Derry Girls Experience
Union Hall Place, Derry BT48 6LU
- The Experience opens
  The Derry Girls Experience opens at the Tower Museum.
- Ma Mary’s rosary
  The Spice Girls costumes, the Child of Prague statue and Ma Mary’s rosary beads go on show.
- The Quinn household
  A recreated set and items from the Quinn household are on show at the museum.
The Guildhall and Guildhall Square
Guildhall Square, Derry, just outside Shipquay Gate
- The President in Derry
  Bill Clinton speaks outside the Guildhall, the first American president to visit Northern Ireland.
- Hours in the cold
  People queue in the cold for hours to hear him; John Hume is there.
- Dear Chelsea
  At 13, before the visit, Lisa McGee writes to Chelsea Clinton inviting her to see a film at the Strand cinema. She never gets a reply.
- The wave machine
  In the show the gang write to Chelsea too, but invite her to the wave machine at the local pool.
- The week of the vote
  The final special is set in 1998, the week of the Good Friday Agreement referendum, while Erin and Orla plan a joint 18th birthday party.
- Yes
  The vote is Yes, by 71.12 per cent, on a record turnout.
- Delivered
  After the credits of the final special, a postman in New York hands Chelsea Clinton the gang’s letter, intercepted on its way to the White House in the 1990s.
The Derry Girls mural
Badgers Bar gable, Orchard Street, Derry BT48 6EG
- The five on the gable
  UV Arts finish painting Erin, Orla, Clare, Michelle and James on the side of Badgers Bar.
Free Derry Corner and the wee shop
Free Derry Corner, the Bogside, Derry
- Crisps and sweets
  The outside of the shop where the girls buy crisps and sweets is filmed in the Bogside, near Free Derry Corner.
- The gable
  The words on the gable at Free Derry Corner first appear.
St Columba’s, Long Tower
Long Tower Street, Derry BT48 6JG
- The weeping statue, outside
  The outside of the weeping-statue church is filmed at St Columba’s, Long Tower.
Limewood Street
Limewood Street, west Derry
- The walk to school
  The girls walk to school along Limewood Street.
- A different way to school
  McGee remembers the 1994 ceasefire and Clinton’s visit, and having to go a different way to school because of a bomb scare.
Hands Across the Divide
West end of Craigavon Bridge, Derry
- Two figures, reaching
  CAIN photographs the bronze pair at the west end of Craigavon Bridge.
Hunterhouse College
Orpen Road, Finaghy, south Belfast
- Our Lady Immaculate
  Much of the action at Our Lady Immaculate College is filmed at Hunterhouse College.
St Mary’s University College
Falls Road, west Belfast
- More school
  Some school scenes are filmed at St Mary’s University College.
John Long’s
39 Athol Street, Belfast, near the Grand Opera House
- Fionnuala’s
  John Long’s stands in for Fionnuala’s chippy in the second episode.
St George’s Church
105 High Street, Belfast BT1 2AG
- The weeping statue, inside
  The inside of the weeping-statue church is filmed at St George’s.