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BELFAST - Northern Ireland's second city of Londonderry is to keep its "London" prefix, a judge ruled on Thursday, thwarting an attempt to sever a centuries old link with Britain's capital.
Controversy over what to call the city in the British-ruled province has raged for decades.
The minority Catholic nationalists, who want to unite with southern neighbour Ireland, want to call it Derry while the majority pro-British Protestants want to keep the full name to preserve links with Britain.
The city's nationalist-dominated council, which changed its name from Londonderry City Council to Derry City Council in 1984, had gone to Belfast's high court to change the name.
The judge ruled that just because the council had altered its title, it did not mean the name granted by Britain's King James I in the 17th century should be changed.
Only legislation or royal prerogative could change the name, he said.
The name Derry is an anglicisation of the city's original Irish name, Doire, meaning "oak grove".
- REUTERS
