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THE PORCH
On entering the Cathedral via the porch doors presented by Mrs. Harriet F. Miller of Montreal in memory of Sir William and Lady Miller, five times Mayor of the City, you will see many fine examples of marble memorials. The original foundation stone of 1633, which used to be on the south porch was moved in 1825 to its present position. Below it is placed a more modern copy. The small stone inserted into the original stone came from the original Columban church built in 1164 AD. The text on the small stone is as follows: 'In Templo Venjs Deus Est Vereque Colendus' which translated means 'The True God is in His Temple and is to be truly worshipped'. Close by the foundation stone is a metal plinth on which sits a large mortar shell weighing 2701bs and is 16 inches in diameter.
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This shell was fired into the City during the Siege and landed in the Churchyard on lOth July 1689 and contained terms for surrender, but the reply to these terms was that the City would not surrender and the Siege lasted 105 days with the City being relieved by the ships, ladened with food; breaking the boom across the river Foyle on the 12th August 1689 (N.S.). The Apprentice Boys of Derry presented it to the Cathedral in 1844.
The letter contained in the shell is given in Ash's Journal as follows:
'To the soldiers and inhabitants of Derry .The conditions offered by Lieut. General Hamilton are sincere. The power he hath of the King is real. Be no longer imposed upon by such as tell you the contrary. You cannot be ignorant of the King's clemency towards his subjects. Such of you as choose to serve the King shall be entertained without distinction in point of religion. If any choose to leave the Kingdom they shall have passes. You shall be restored to your estates and livings, and have free liberty of religion whatever it may be. If you doubt the powers given to General Hamilton by the King, twenty of you may come and see it with freedom, under the King's hand and seal. Be not obstinate against your natural prince, expose yourselves no longer to the miseries you undergo, which will grow worse and worse if you continue to be opinionate for it will be too late to accept of the offer now made you, when your condition is so low that you cannot resist the King's forces longer. July 10, 1689.
Above the fine staircase is a plaque to the history of the bells in the Cathedral which has the oldest bell in Ireland, presented in 1614 and also the oldest peel in Ireland.