very good point from Owen about the local angle from those tours, i really should have mentioned that. oops.
my dogged, accidental wandering about included around that Cupar Street and various back streets and all around, but giving money to a cabbie or whatever is giving money to the local economy, so, yes, way forward?
have to second the Stormont and Cavehill love. if you're a photographer it's an extremely rewarding cityscape, also (said with Cavehill in mind).
John Hewitt was a grand bar (in fact i had some tasty micro-brews in there) and i think i remember the Spaniard,
stunning little looker.
Derry is a fine, hilly city with nice squares, friendly lively boozers and some good looking venues, some gorgeous civic buildings, international students enhancing the vibe, quality cheap chippies, and that exquisite set of walls and the beautiful cannon. (google the Nerve Centre.)
wonderful setting, gets quite rugged not far out of town, the Foyle is a fabulous river with some great bridges.
don't know about nights out as such but i ended up in pubs most of the time (including being in Badgers bar in which the England - Ireland rugby match was shown one day, that was fun), one night a Stone Roses tribute act (not the most Dissensian option i realise..) and disco effort at (kinda sports bar vibe) Bound for Boston, that was a good laugh, and a top bar with clubby vibe quite a long way out of the centre one night, as usual all names escape me.
Sandinos (a bar) is worth a visit, wears its politics on its sleeve, all sorts of folk in there when i went in.
a lot of interesting murals in quite a few different areas on both sides of the river (lot more painted-with-either-flag pavement sides than even in Belfast, that i noticed anyway), recently the famous Free Derry thing in the Bogside was repainted to a Free Gaza mural.
the Bogside Artists have a gaff you can drop in on IIRC, workshop / exhibition space.
there's some nice A Gormley peppering the city.
Oliver: thank you!