saint columbas long tower

St Columba's 'Long Tower' is another very important Derry church. It was the first Catholic church erected in the city after the momentous events of the reformation and plantation. It is decorated in a brilliant neo-Renaissance style. Built originally in 1784, St Columba's occupies the precincts of another of Derry's famous medieval churches the Tempull Mor or great Church. This was built in the 1160's at a time when a reasonably large township had grown up around the ancient monastery.

The Tempull Mor served as the cathedral of the Diocese of Derry throughout the middle ages. Like the distinctively Irish round tower of the same period (hence 'Long Tower), which stood nearby, all traces of the Tempull Mor disappeared in the seventeenth century.

The holy well of Saint Columb is nearby.