Welcome To Colmville!

For one day only, Derry-Londonderry gains a new name...

The sound of roaring thunder is heard from behind the front of a large wooden "box" outside the entrance to the Guildhall. The mood of the numerous crowd members scattered around the square is as eager and excitable as it is impatient, with curiosity about the contents inside "the box". The joyousness is matched only by the slight discomfort caused by the sweltering conditions, with the need for ice creams, cold drinks and sunburn avoidance at what seems like an all time high.

We, the people of Derry-Londonderry, are not used to this. Not just the weather, but also the publicity. Amateur and professional photographers are searching for the best spots near the box. A BBC presenter and her cameraman have travelled from Nottingham to be part of the occasion. Forget One Big Weekend, this is the event that the first ever UK City Of Culture has clearly been waiting for.

Then, it happens. The Josef Locke tenors rip off their security jackets and burst into quite a special mix of song and mild dance. Part operatic, part Fred Astaire (top hats and all), their rendition of "Hear My Song" elicits loud cheers from everyone. Not quite as melodic, but equally as pleasing, are the antics of the two workmen who try to open the box with a hammer and drill, that is, when they're not improvising with those tools. Eventually, the lid of the "box" slowly comes down to reveal... a book? The cover of a dusty book, with large cobwebs all around it?

But this is not just any old and dusty book. It's the Book Of Kells, an illuminated Latin manuscript Gospel book created by Celtic monks. Or so history would have us believe. When a little girl and a monk open this particular Book Of Kells in front of us, it is revealed to be empty.

"There's nothing in the book", a woman next to me says. "Not - yet..." I smile, knowing that the best is definitely yet to come. And that is indeed the case. Jaunty Irish music starts to play as the monk begins to draw a large map of Derry on the right-hand page of the centre of the book. The Guildhall Square, The Walled City, the River Foyle, the Peace Bridge, the Loch Ness monster, the Gasyard, the Railway Station, the Long Church Tower, Ebrington Square... a cheer is reserved for every single recognisable landmark that appears on the map as the crowd relish both the temporary "transformation" of the city and the excitement that lies ahead.

A door - yes, a little "door" - is then drawn at the bottom of the page for the monk to literally cut open. Through the paper door, children emerge from the book to distribute maps of "Colmville" to every spectator.

Ah yes - Colmville. What is Colmville? Why, it's Derry-Londonderry, of course, for one weekend only! And for the next few hours, monks and guidebooks are to lead the people of the city through an afternoon of music, movement and the spoken word. Local history lessons, medieval food, medieval fashion and even contemporary rock are to highlight what promises to be a memorable afternoon.

As I leave everyone to enjoy themselves, I wonder what everyone's favourite memories of Colmville will be by the end of the very long day...