Overview
Until 2003 you couldn’t have walked in here: this was Ebrington Barracks, a working British Army base on the Waterside, closed to the city it looked across at. The 29-acre site opened as a public square on 14 February 2012, and the single best thing to do is arrive on foot across the Peace Bridge – the curving pedestrian and cycle bridge that ties the square to the city centre on the far bank of the Foyle. The walk over the water is the experience; the square is where you land.
From star fort to public square
The ground above the Foyle was once known as Stronge’s Orchard, then took on strategic weight: during the Siege of Derry in 1689, Jacobite forces occupied the ridge. The British Army laid out a purpose-built star fort here in 1841, naming it after Hugh Fortescue, Viscount Ebrington. For over 150 years the barracks shifted with the times:
- 19th and early 20th centuries – Home to regular infantry, including the 1st Battalion Cheshire Regiment.
- Second World War – Played a significant part in the Battle of the Atlantic, coordinating convoy protection from the Foyle.
- Cold War – Housed and trained submariners as the anti-submarine warfare base HMS Sea Eagle.
- The Troubles – Served as headquarters for 8 Infantry Brigade and took several bomb attacks.
The Army left in 2003 and the site was gifted to the NI Executive. A regeneration programme kept the scheduled-monument star-fort wall and the listed 19th-century buildings, and resurfaced the parade ground into open public space. The work gained momentum during Derry’s year as UK City of Culture in 2013.
What to see and do
The square is built for lingering. Level paving, plenty of seating and a permanent stage make it an open-air venue, and it fills for events – international music festivals through the summer, the Derry Jazz Festival in May, and a Halloween festival in October that bills itself as Europe’s biggest. The BBC’s Antiques Roadshow filmed here in 2023 and 2024.
Art and the walls
- Mute Meadow – Forty pairs of illuminated steel columns by Turner Prize nominee Vong Phaophanit and Claire Oboussier, unveiled in 2011. One honest note: the lights have been switched off since 2014, so the much-photographed after-dark glow isn’t there anymore – you’re looking at the columns, not the light show.
- Peace Pledge Tree – A metal sculpture by Maurice Harron hung with more than 400 engraved metal leaves, each carrying a peace pledge written by local young people. Not a living tree and no ribbons: the pledges are cut into the metal.
- Star-fort wall – The scheduled-monument perimeter wall still stands, akin to the walls across the river in the old city. Walk its length for views over the Foyle.
Food and drink
- Walled City Brewery – The anchor: craft beer brewed on site, served with pintxos, in a repurposed barracks building. There’s also a free car park here.
- Stitch and Weave – A restaurant that opened in March 2024 in the former barracks canteen.
- Ebrington Hotel – A four-star hotel in the restored clock tower, opened in 2023; its ground-floor bar and café are open to non-guests.
On the water
The Foyle here is broad and slow, and paddleboarding is possible from the square; City Paddle Boards operates nearby. Conditions change with the tide, so go with an operator if you don’t know the river.
Getting there
- On foot or bike – The Peace Bridge is a fully accessible, traffic-free crossing from the city centre, and the level paving across Ebrington suits pushchairs and wheelchairs.
- Car – On-street parking on the Waterside is limited and fills fast during events; there’s a free car park at the Walled City Brewery. For longer stays, use the multi-storey car parks on the west bank and cross by the Peace Bridge.
- Bus – Local buses serve the Waterside, with stops on the Foyle promenade a few minutes’ walk from the square.
- Airport – City of Derry Airport is 5 km north, with taxis and shuttles to the Waterside.
Nearby
A short walk over the Peace Bridge brings you to the Bogside, with its political murals and the free Museum of Free Derry. The Derry city walls – the last complete circuit of walls in Ireland – begin just across the river, a continuous walk around the old town. The Guildhall and St Columb’s Park are both within easy reach on the west bank.
Check what’s on before you go: on a festival day the square is the centre of the city, and on a quiet weekday it’s a good place to walk the walls and read the river.