We crossed the Peace Bridge into a whole new world. The Peace Bridge opened on June 2011, and functions as a new walking and cycling bridge across the River Foyle. The Peace Bridge is intended to physically and symbolically unites both sides of the River Foyle. Designed as a pair of identically curved suspension structures making an “S” shape is represents a structural handshake across the Foyle. Costing over £14m to build, the bridge is designed for connect the two sides and opens into the former Parade Ground at Ebrington Barracks that is now used as a public space.
The Ebrington army barracks was first designated for military use during the siege of Derry in 1689. Permanent barracks were constructed in 1839 and completing in 1841. The original barracks were in the shape of a star fort. This is where the paramilitary met and organized the morning of Bloody Sunday.
Within the Star Fort the former Parade Ground has been developed into a multi-purpose public space and venue. It measures over five acres in size and is hoped to become a new cultural hub for the city. It has already hosted the BBC Radio 1s Big Weekend 2013 where performers such as Calvin Harris, Paramore, and Bruno Mars were met by a mixed crowd of Protestants and Catholics in numbers of 40,000.
Now referred to as Ebrington Square, the area gave me an unsettling feeling. While exploring the place earlier today I didn’t know where I was, my guesses were parking or corporate offices. Walking around I got the heebie jeebies as if haunted by the events that came out of this place. I was surrounded by a bland array of colors that made me feel like I just stepped out of the movie theater into the sun and couldn’t quite adjust. The area felt sad, there were kids playing and foot traffic going through but it still felt like it had no culture. When festivals are in town the space is lit up with life, but without it, Ebrington Square is bare.
The Ebrington army barracks was first designated for military use during the siege of Derry in 1689. Permanent barracks were constructed in 1839 and completing in 1841. The original barracks were in the shape of a star fort. This is where the paramilitary met and organized the morning of Bloody Sunday.
Within the Star Fort the former Parade Ground has been developed into a multi-purpose public space and venue. It measures over five acres in size and is hoped to become a new cultural hub for the city. It has already hosted the BBC Radio 1s Big Weekend 2013 where performers such as Calvin Harris, Paramore, and Bruno Mars were met by a mixed crowd of Protestants and Catholics in numbers of 40,000.
Now referred to as Ebrington Square, the area gave me an unsettling feeling. While exploring the place earlier today I didn’t know where I was, my guesses were parking or corporate offices. Walking around I got the heebie jeebies as if haunted by the events that came out of this place. I was surrounded by a bland array of colors that made me feel like I just stepped out of the movie theater into the sun and couldn’t quite adjust. The area felt sad, there were kids playing and foot traffic going through but it still felt like it had no culture. When festivals are in town the space is lit up with life, but without it, Ebrington Square is bare.