Historical Significance & Maritime Operations
The Port of Derry, sheltered inland along the broad tidal waters of the River Foyle, was the premier emigrant departure harbor for the northern province of Ulster. For over two centuries, it served as the gateway to North America for people from Donegal, Tyrone, Derry, and northern Connacht.
In the eighteenth century, Derry was the launching point for Ulster-Scots (Scots-Irish) settlers who colonized Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the Carolinas. During the nineteenth century, legendary Derry shipping companies such as the J. & J. Cooke Line and the McCorkell Line (celebrated for its swift clipper ships like the Minnehaha) ferried over 1.2 million Irish passengers across the stormy North Atlantic to Philadelphia and New York.