County Londonderry or County Derry (Irish: Contae Dhoire) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland in the province of Ulster on the island of Ireland.
It was named after its main town – and later city and administrative centre – Derry (Londonderry). The county flower is the Purple Saxifrage.
As with the town, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists.
The name Derry is usually used in the Republic of Ireland, it also has a mixed usage in Northern Ireland, depending on the source; while most of the British authorities prefer to use the name Londonderry.
Unlike the town, historically there was not a preceding County Derry: it was established in 1613 by combining the former County of Coleraine with small parts of Counties Antrim, Donegal, and Tyrone at the behest of the London livery companies and the Irish Society (hence, London-Derry) so that they could control both banks of the mouths of the River Foyle and the River Bann and have access to sufficient wood for construction.
The county town was Coleraine.
Since 1973, administration has been divided between district councils.
The councils covering the county are Coleraine Borough Council, Derry City Council, Limavady Borough Council, and Magherafelt District Council; and part of Cookstown District Council, which is largely in County Tyrone.
In the Gaelic Athletic Association, the Derry teams wear the colours red and white.
In Football, County Londonderry is represented in the Irish Premier League by Limavady United, Institute F.C. and Coleraine F.C.. Tobermore United and Moyola Park compete in Division One.
Derry City F.C. play in the top division in the Republic of Ireland's league.
In Rugby, the county is represented at senior level by City of Derry Rugby Club and Rainey Old Boys Rugby Club, Magherafelt. Limavady R.F.C, Londonderry Y.M.C.A and Coleraine Rugby Club compete in the qualifying leagues.
