Free Derry was a self-declared autonomous
nationalist area of
Derry,
Northern Ireland, that existed between 1969 and 1972. Its name was taken from a sign painted on a gable wall in the
Bogside in January 1969 which read, "You are now entering Free Derry". The area, which included the Bogside and
Creggan neighbourhoods, was secured by community activists for the first time on 5 January 1969 following an incursion into the Bogside by members of the
Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). Residents built
barricades and carried
clubs and similar arms to prevent the RUC from entering. After six days the residents took down the barricades and RUC patrols resumed, but tensions remained high over the following months.