The Walker Testimonial and symbolic conflict in Derry

Heather Stanfiel

How did one 19th-century memorial to a 17th-century figure come to be so significant in the city of Derry that it would generate conflict for nearly 200 years? How has the struggle over its symbolism been borne out over that time? Who perpetuates it, and to what end? This book explores these questions and takes as its central focus the history and commemoration of the Walker Testimonial as a means of examining the social and cultural tensions of memory and identity in Irish and Northern Irish history.

Heather Stanfiel is a PhD candidate in history and Irish studies at the University of Notre Dame and holds a postgraduate degree from Queen’s University Belfast.