About
The Museum of Free Derry stands at the heart of the Bogside community, adjacent to the iconic Free Derry Corner mural, telling one of the most significant and moving stories in modern Irish and British history. The museum commemorates the period known as Free Derry (1969–1972), when the Bogside area of Derry/Londonderry became a no-go zone for British security forces — a community barricading itself off from a state it no longer trusted, establishing its own governance and identity in one of the most dramatic acts of civil defiance in the history of these islands.
At the core of the museum's mission is the story of Bloody Sunday, 30 January 1972, when soldiers of the 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment shot 28 unarmed civilian marchers on the streets of Derry, killing 14 people. The victims — men and boys — had gathered to participate in a civil rights march calling for an end to internment without trial. They were shot in their backs, on the streets of their own city, by soldiers acting under orders. The museum holds extensive archives of photographs, film footage, forensic evidence, and personal testimonies gathered over the decades-long campaign to establish the truth about what happened that day.
That campaign — driven by the families of the victims and the broader Bogside community — ultimately resulted in the Saville Inquiry, the longest and most expensive public inquiry in British legal history, which reported in 2010. The inquiry concluded unequivocally that the killings were unjustified and unjustifiable. British Prime Minister David Cameron delivered a formal public apology to the House of Commons, describing the events as 'unjustified and unjustifiable' — words for which the families had waited 38 years.
The museum contextualises Bloody Sunday within the broader sweep of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland from the mid-1960s, drawing explicit comparisons to the American civil rights movement. It explores the Battle of the Bogside (August 1969), the introduction of internment (1971), and the complex political and social landscape of the early Troubles. Opened in 2007, the museum has become one of Northern Ireland's most important heritage sites — a place of commemoration, education and reconciliation, visited by people from around the world.
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Annual Visitors (2019)
40,000
Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
Quietest: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Busiest: Saturday
💡 Weekday mornings for a more contemplative experience — this is a museum that rewards quiet reflection and the emotional weight of its subject matter is best experienced without large crowds
💡 Visitor Tips
- Allow more time than you think you need — the subject matter is emotionally absorbing and many visitors find themselves spending 90 minutes or more despite the relatively compact physical space of the museum. Do not rush.
- The museum is staffed by people with deep personal connections to the events it commemorates. Do not hesitate to ask questions — the staff and guides offer insights and context unavailable anywhere else, including perspectives from family members of those killed on Bloody Sunday.
- Walk the Bogside murals before or after your visit — the People's Gallery (twelve murals by the Bogside Artists) forms a free open-air extension of the museum's story and takes about 30–45 minutes to walk at a contemplative pace.
- Free Derry Corner is immediately adjacent — one of the most photographed political landmarks in Ireland. Take time to read about its history; the simple painted inscription 'You Are Now Entering Free Derry' carries extraordinary historical and emotional weight.
- The museum is particularly significant around the anniversary of Bloody Sunday (30 January) when commemorative events and services take place in the Bogside. If visiting at this time, check for any changes to opening hours or special events.
- Combine your visit with the nearby Tower Museum, which provides broader historical context for Derry's history from earliest times through the Troubles and peace process — an excellent companion to the Museum of Free Derry's more focused story.
- The museum's subject matter is harrowing — parents, partners and children of those killed tell their stories. Visitors who find graphic accounts of violence distressing should be prepared, though the museum presents its content with dignity and respect rather than gratuitous detail.
- Purchase a book from the museum shop — publications produced by the museum and related organisations provide detailed accounts of the civil rights movement and Bloody Sunday that supplement and extend the exhibition experience considerably.
Highlights
Discover the unique exhibits and collections at this museum.
Collections
The museum's collection centres on archival material relating to the civil rights movement in Derry and the period of Free Derry (1969–72), with particular focus on Bloody Sunday (30 January 1972).
Holdings include contemporary photographs taken on and around Bloody Sunday, film and television footage, forensic and ballistic evidence, medical records, personal testimonies from survivors and bereaved families, and the extensive documentary evidence gathered for and produced by the Saville Inquiry (1998–2010).
The collection also covers the civil rights movement from the mid-1960s, the Battle of the Bogside (1969), internment (1971), and the subsequent campaign for truth and justice.
Personal artefacts, letters, and family memorabilia from the families of those killed add an intimate dimension. The archive is of major historical and legal significance as a record of one of the defining events of the Troubles.
Free Derry: Civil Rights and Resistance
The main permanent exhibition tracing the history of the civil rights movement in Derry from the mid-1960s, the creation of Free Derry in 1969, and the period up to and including Bloody Sunday in January 1972. Uses photographs, film footage, artefacts and personal testimonies.
📍 Main Gallery
Bloody Sunday: The Truth
Dedicated exhibition on the events of 30 January 1972, documenting what happened, who was killed and wounded, the subsequent cover-up, and the 38-year campaign for truth that culminated in the Saville Report (2010) and Prime Minister Cameron's public apology.
📍 Bloody Sunday Gallery
Themes
Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.