President Connolly meets with communities and Bloody Sunday families on second day of official visit to Northern Ireland
Date: Thu 5th Feb, 2026 | 20:40
Uachtarán na hÉireann, Catherine Connolly, today continued her three-day official visit to Northern Ireland with a number of engagements in Derry.
The President this morning delivered an address to approximately 100 guests at a civic reception at the Guildhall.
In her address, the President said:
“I have been in Derry a number of times, both in a personal capacity and as a member of the Oireachtas Coiste na Gaeilge. I have always left Derry with the feeling of wanting to return, and it is a particular privilege to be here now as President of Ireland.
Derry has shown us the path from conflict to peace, from its pivotal role in the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Movement, to the Good Friday Agreement, to the ongoing work in the community.
We remain indebted to your very own, the late John Hume, whose Nobel Peace Prize is displayed here, the late David Trimble with whom he shared that prize, the late Martin McGuinness, and all those women and men who have helped to realise peace.
It is important to recognise that there are many strands to the peace process, from the formal agreement to the physical infrastructure exemplified in the Peace Bridge which opened in 2011, to the ongoing projects on the ground. I am particularly looking forward to visiting the Siege Museum, An Cultúrlann, the Museum of Free Derry, the Nerve Centre, and Youth Action Northern Ireland, and engaging with the staff and community. These projects are full of hope and vision, championing diversity and building a brighter future.”
Later in the morning, the President visited the Siege Museum, where she received a tour led by the museum’s Billy Moore. The President also met at the museum with Lord Willie Hay.
The President then visited An Cultúrlann, where she met with participants in Irish language classes as well as with participants in Ceol le Chéile, a performance workshop for young people who have special education needs and disabilities.
In the afternoon, the President visited the Museum of Free Derry where she viewed the exhibition on Bloody Sunday and met with some 50 family members of those were killed and injured on Bloody Sunday on 30 January 1972.
The President concluded the second day of her official visit at the Nerve Centre, where she received a tour of the building and met with teenagers and children taking part in workshops and classes on music, coding and animation.
President Connolly will complete her three-day official visit to Northern Ireland with a further engagement in Derry tomorrow morning.
The President’s three-day visit to Northern Ireland marks the first official visit of President Connolly’s presidency and fulfils a commitment made in her inauguration address that her first official visit would be to Northern Ireland, where she would meet with people from all communities and celebrate the rich heritage and traditions of all who live there.