The walking tour starts at An t-Ionad Fíona Wine Center with a review of the history, architecture and characters of the Top Row, Draperstown, Co. L’Derry since 1832 and understanding why it took the Drapers Company 200 years to start building.

You will be immersed in the history of the island of Ireland from the Flight of the Earls in 1607 leading to the Drapers Company of London being assigned ownership of this area of the newly created county of Londonderry up to the present. The importance of understanding this journey of the Tour & Tasting, of land and premises ownership, in one small town through the years cannot be underestimated in understanding the emergence of the two states of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland on the island of Ireland today.

To the present day with County Londonderry itself (named in honour of its City of London benefactors in 1613) and is often called County “L’Derry”. All is explained at the start and throughout this fascinating walking Tour & Tasting of a plantation town’s Top Row, from the original architects to the family homes and business’s past and present.

For example, prior to the town being officially renamed Draperstown in 1818, the town was known as Ballinascreen, and the actual Guinness Harp on the world famous Guinness labels is a replica of an actual harp,known as the DownHill harp, crafted by Ballinacreen native,Cormac O’Kelly, in 1702,which is now located in the James’s Gate Guinness Brewery Museum in Dublin.

There are many characters of note that lived on the Top Row that will be reviewed, during the Tour & Tasting, but of course the most famous of character of the Top Row would be a member the Henry family, and the First Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Sir Denis Henry (years in office, 1921-1925)

We will also visit the birth place of Henry McKenna of Kentucky Bourbon fame who left Draperstown for Kentucky USA in 1819 founding a bourbon dynasty there.The walking tour

then ends with a tasting of wine, Guinness or Henry McKenna Bourbon, at an t-Ionad Fíona Wine Center.

The walking tour can be facilitated both in English and as Gaeilge (in the Irish language)

Powered by Froala Editor