Friel’s Terrace was a row of nine houses in the middle of Nailor’s Row, known locally as ‘The Back of the Walls’ because it ran parallel to, and facing, Derry’s Walls and overlooked the Bogside. Phil Cunningham was reared from 1937 until twelve years old in these now long-gone streets. This is his account, told with humour and affection, of the events, people and conditions he encountered in and around the city during those formative years.

First serialised in a weekly column in the Derry News, Phil has sewn his patchwork of stories and pictures together to produce this memoir, originally intended as a treasured gift of memories captured for his family. As Garbhan Downey, editor of the Derry News, commented:

I think it was his humour that grabbed me first – the razor-sharp insights into the mischievous world of the urchin child. I loved the style too; gentle, innocent narrative – homely and homespun. Another charm was the recognition of a common Derry history. I met characters my father and grandfather might have known personally... Some of the vignettes were familiar too – anecdotes almost myth-like in their universal appeal.

ISBN 10: 0 946451 70 2
ISBN 13: 978 0 946451 70 8
First published November 2002, reprinted December 2010, softback, 160pp, 148mm x 210mm (tall)