- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Derry, along the Foyle and around Brooke Park
Lone parents head 22% of Derry households, and the city’s parkrun follows the River Foyle on paving and bitmac paths.
85,200+
residents of Derry City, NISRA Census 2021 settlement
22%
of Derry homes are one-parent families, grown-up children counted; across Northern Ireland 14% (NISRA 2021)
19%
of Derry homes are private lets, compared with 17% for the whole of Northern Ireland (NISRA)
Derry practises its Spanish on Wednesdays
The Spanish Conversation Group on Wednesday lunchtimes and the French group on Mondays at Derry Central Library on Foyle Street are a lively way to make friends in Derry, and Knit and Natter meets there on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. On Saturday mornings Derry City parkrun runs beside the River Foyle. Derry women can use Gofrendly to find a partner for either.
Derry: a few things people ask
Which adult groups use Derry Central Library?
Derry Central Library on Foyle Street hosts Knit and Natter on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, a Creative Writing Group on Wednesday mornings, a Sewing Bee at Wednesday lunchtime, French conversation on Mondays and Spanish on Wednesdays, plus Topic of the Week on Wednesday afternoons for Derry adults.
Where does Derry City parkrun take place?
Derry City parkrun meets each Saturday morning in the city centre, beside the River Foyle, on a mix of paving and bitmac paths. Its 623rd outing, in mid-October 2026, had 155 finishers and 19 volunteers, so newcomers walking or jogging will find plenty of company.
What is Brooke Park in Derry?
Brooke Park covers eight hectares of public parkland close to Derry city centre and has been a public park since 1901. More than £5m was invested to rejuvenate it, and the council also runs Brooke Park Leisure Centre, so a walk and a swim can share one trip.
How can single mums in Derry make friends?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, lets Derry mothers and other women in the city find people close by and message first. With 22% of households led by a lone parent, a buggy walk in Brooke Park or a Saturday parkrun is an easy plan to share.
Derry, a walled city with many young families
In Derry City around 22% of homes are run by one parent, and almost three in ten are Housing Executive or housing association tenancies, both well above the Northern Ireland figures. When one adult is running the house, evenings out can be rare, so daytime groups and weekend mornings, with or without the children in tow, are the realistic places to start friendships, and a regular slot beats an occasional night out with a babysitter.
Parenting solo can be lonely even in a busy city. Brooke Park, a public park since 1901, covers eight hectares near the centre, the Millennium Forum on Newmarket Street stages theatre and a Christmas pantomime, and the Guildhall, at the heart of city life since 1890, offers guided tours. The library’s Sewing Bee on Wednesdays welcomes your own project, Read Aloud runs on Monday mornings, and a monthly Saturday Writing Group needs booking. Where to begin:
1
Derry Central Library on Foyle Street.
2
Brooke Park, eight hectares near the city centre.
3
The riverside paths used by Derry City parkrun.
4
The Guildhall, with guided tours.
5
The Millennium Forum on Newmarket Street.
LOCAL TIP
Bring a half-finished garment to the Wednesday Sewing Bee and someone may well have the thread you are missing.
How to
Derry: where to meet people in a busy week
1
Join Topic of the Week, the Wednesday afternoon current affairs group at the library.
2
Run, walk or volunteer at Derry City parkrun on a Saturday morning.
3
Try the Afternoon Book Club on the second Monday of the month.
4
Invite a Derry friend from Gofrendly to a pantomime matinee at the Millennium Forum.
When friends still feel far away
Derry page: how it was written
Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja wrote this Derry page, edited in-house, thinking of women raising families who would also like a social life of their own.
Friendship looks different at every stage
More guides for women in this area – each with its own local advice.
Friendship looks different at every stage
More guides for women in this area – each with its own local advice.
Find women near you
See who’s nearby and say hi — it’s free to start.