47PREVIOUS
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FROM
LEFT:
GETTY
IMAGES;
HANNAH
MCKAY/REUTERS.
THIS
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PAUL
FAITH/BLOOMBERG.
DATA:
IRELAND
CENTRAL
STATISTICS
OFFICE,
Q1
2018
THEBOTTOMLINE TwodecadesaftertheendoftheTroubles,
theimpactofCovid-19andtheprospectofa harderU.K.-Ireland
bordercouldreigniteoldtensionsin NorthernIreland’sDerry.typically favored by the Protestant, pro-British
community, while Catholics usually refer to it as
Derry. The Bogside is still plastered with murals
depicting young victims of the Troubles, and
its iconic gable wall welcomes visitors to “Free
Derry.” Not far away is the Peace Bridge that spans
the River Foyle between the mostly Protestant and
unionist “Waterside” and the mainly Catholic and
nationalist “Cityside.”
The toll of 2020 on Derry is clear. Noel Faller,
whose family has run a jewelry store in the city
since the late 19th century, says the streets are
emptier and his customer traffic is down by
one-third. “Covid is a bit like a war in the whole
destructive nature on the financials and curtailing
of demand,” he says.
Violence has largely faded since the 1998 peace
accord, though Brexit is reigniting tensions. The
city is closely bound to the EU, with about 78% of
voters backing “remain” in the 2016 referendum,
amid concern over the return of checkpoints along
the border with the Republic of Ireland. Cross-
border trade was worth €7.4 billion ($8.7 billion)
in 2018, according to InterTradeIreland, a group
funded by the Irish and Northern Irish govern-
ments to promote business.
Last year, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson
agreed to a deal with the EU to keep the Irish fron-
tier invisible, no matter how Brexit unfolded.
He has since threatened to walk away from that
accord. The question of reunification with Ireland
is back on the agenda in Northern Ireland, though
there’s little chance of a vote anytime soon.
In July 2018, Derry suffered five nights of dis-
turbances, and a car bomb exploded outside thecity’scourthouseinJanuary2019.Thesameyear,
journalistLyraMcKeewasshotandkilledwhile
reportingona riot.FormerU.K.PrimeMinisters
TonyBlairandJohnMajorwarnedasearlyas 2016
ofa potentialreturntoviolenceoverBrexitbor-
derchanges,whichunionistlawmakerGregory
Campbelldismissesas“claptrap.”“Itwasblatantly
playingtotheworstfearsofvoters,andit worked
inNorthernIrelandbecausepeoplewerefearful
ofviolence,”hesays.
Theconcernis thatthepandemic,coupledwith
a Brexitthatjeopardizescross-bordertrade,could
makesomeofthosefearscometrue.TheDerry
region’sseven-daycasecounthitcloseto1,000
casesper100,000peopleinOctober,amongthe
highestinEurope.It’ssincefallennearerto 300
withthenewrestrictions.
BackattheWhiteHorse,Horshiisfocusing
onhowtomakesureherbusinesssurvivesafter
28 yearsinherfamily’sownership.It remainsopen
toguestswhostayonessentialworktripsduring
weekdays,butrevenueis downbyone-thirdfrom
a yearago.Sofar,thehotelhasmanagedtokeepits
roughly 40 employeeswithoutanylayoffs.
“Wehavea responsibilitytotryanddoour
bestforourstaffbecausenotdoingsocouldlead
tomoresocialissues,”saysHorshi,whosefather
leftBeirutin 1983 astheLebaneseCivilWarraged
toarriveinNorthernIrelandduringitssectarian
conflict. “Most of us are aware of people who have
had Covid—and they come from all sides of the
community.” �Rachel McGovern and Dara Doyle▲ Political murals
remain in Derry’s
Bogside, where
unarmed civilian
marchers were shot
and killed by British
soldiers on “Bloody
Sunday” in 1972