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Derry Cathedral possessed, not indeed the oldest Bell, but the oldest Peal in Ireland. It comprised the following, numbered as in the present Peal, and with the inscriptions, where in Latin, translated.
 | No.2, donor, Irish Society, Note E, weight 5 cwt. 2 qrs., Inscr., 'Fear God, Honour the King. Recast for Londonderry Steeple, 1614. |
| Unnumbered, donor, Irish Society, Note D sharp, weight 5 cwt. , 2 qrs., Inscr. 'Thou wilt add days unto the days of the King and years unto his years, and generations to h!s generation, 1630'. |
| Nos. 5, 6,8,9 and one unnumbered, donor, KIng Charles I, Notes B 8cwt., A 10 cwt., G sharp 11 cwt. 3 qrs., F sharp 16 cwt., E 23 cwt., Inscr., 'Charles, King of Great Britain, gave the five larger bells to God and the Church, 1638'. |
| No.4, donor, The Citizens of Derry, Note C sharp, weight 6 cwt. 2 qrs., Inscr. 'Charles II, King of Great! Britain having been restored, Military despotism having been put I down, the Bells were restored 1671 '. |
At this period only the six larger Bells were used, but the two older and smaller Bells were preserved and recast in 1813 with the others. At the latter recasting the old inscriptions were omitted or altered, but on each Bell it was stated that it was recast. Fortunately the original inscriptions had been transcribed into one of the old registers, and have been restored at the recasting in 1929. In this year five Bells were added by the generosity of donors or subscribers, as follows:-
| No.1, donor, the Browning Clubs, in memory of Captain Browning of the Mountjoy, killed at the Relief, July 28, 1689, Note F sharp, weight 5 cwt. 1 qr. |
| No.3, donor, Robert Rutherford, in memory of his daughter Annie McConnell Ruther- ford, Note D, weight 6 cwt. |
| Unnumbered, donor, Women's L.O.L. No.26, in memory of Mrs F. E. Corscaden, O.B.E., Note C, weight 7 cwt. 1 qr. |
| No.7, donor, Sir Basil McFarland, Bt., in memory of Sir John McFarland, Bt., four times Mayor of Derry, Note G, weight 13 cwt. 2 qrs. |
| No.10, donor, The Hon. The Irish Society, Note D, weight 32 cwt. The old Bells were recast, the new ones made, and all were mounted on iron framework by Gillett & Johnston of Croydon. |
During the Siege, The Tower of the Cathedral was used both as a gun platform and also as the great signalling station of the City, from which messages were sent both by beacons and by flags. The Bells were pealed on occasions of victory or good tidings. Thus on May 30, 1689, upon the receipt of the first news of a relieving force, Captain Ash records in his diary 'for this our great guns were twice fired and our Bells rung most cheerfully'; and in the account of the Relief, Aickin, who was present, writes (in 'Londerias')-
'The towns o'erjoyed, the thundering cannons
roar,
The Bells do ring, and bonfires the town all o 'er. ,
Peals in Ireland were but few and the citizens were proud of their Bells and liked to hear them enlivening all festive occasions. Orders are extant, signed by the Mayor, for payments (usually of £1 2s. Od. for the day) for ringing on various days in 1825-6. These dates include New Year's Day, St. Patrick's Day, the arrival of the Judges at the Lent and Summer assizes. St, George's Day, the Anniversary of the Restoration of King Charles 11, the Anniversary of Waterloo, July 1 and July 12, the Anniversary of the Coronation of King George IV, the Relief of Derry, Sir John Warren's Victory off the Coast of Ireland, Lord Nelson's Victory at Trafalgar, King William's Birthday, and Landing, the Election of the Mayor, the Inauguration of the Mayor. And in 1826 eight pounds were paid for ringing the Bells, 'one week before and one week after Christmas'. This is, of course, not a complete list of such payments. But if one adds services, weddings, and other festival occasions, it is evident that the sound of the Bells must have been very familiar to all dwellers in or near the City.
The Curfew is rung at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., followed by the date of the month on another bell.
If you would like to visit the Irish Association of Change Ringers please click on the following link www.bellringingireland.org
FOR MORE PICTURES PLEASE CLICK ON THUMBNAIL GALLERY BELOW
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BELL TOWER 1 |
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BELL TOWER 2 |
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BELL TOWER 3 |
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PLAQUE DEPICTING A PEAL OF BELLS 1930 |
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BELL RINGERS |
