Bill Clinton, Derry Girls and a 'special place' for the city

Presidents of the United States are famous the world over, but only one can lay claim to featuring in Bafta-nominated comedy, Derry Girls.

President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton arrived in Londonderry for the first time on 30 November 1995.

In his speech to a packed Guildhall Square, Mr Clinton told young people "to believe that the future can be better than the past".

It was a visit that years later Derry Girls writer Lisa McGee would recreate.

The scene would bring the hit Channel 4 coming-of-age comedy's second series to a triumphant close.

Much like the thousands who thronged to Guildhall Square that day hoping to see President Clinton, the fictitious Derry Girls - Erin, Michelle, James, Orla and Clare - were filled with hope that a peaceful future in Northern Ireland was possible.

But unlike those attending in real life, the Derry Girls were also hoping to try and befriend Mr Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, who would later feature in a cameo role in the last ever episode of the show.

The famous 1995 trip was the first visit to Northern Ireland of a sitting US president.

It came as Northern Ireland's peace process was gathering momentum and some three years before the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, the deal that was designed to end the period of conflict known as the Troubles.

In his November speech, Mr Clinton appealed to young people "to build on the opportunity you have before you" and said future generations "have so much more to gain by working together than by drifting apart".

Real-life Derry girl Deirdre McDaid was among those at Guildhall Square for that first visit.

"There was a feeling about the city that was new, there was a sense of hope," she said.

"It was a bit surreal that the world was watching Derry, and the fact that Bill Clinton travelled to the city at a time when things were still so uncertain, it gave people that sense that change was possible."

Speaking to BBC News NI, Ms McDaid said she can vividly remember standing in the vast crowd as an 18-year-old listening to the then president speak.

That first visit to Derry would not be Mr Clinton's last.

In 2010, the former president met Northern Ireland's then first and deputy first ministers Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness during a short visit designed to support the peace process and promote economic growth.

Four years later, as destiny would determine, Ms McDaid, who was studying for a Masters in Peace and Conflict Studies at Ulster University's Magee campus, was asked to introduce Mr Clinton to the Guildhall Square stage.

The former president was in the city to pay tribute to John Hume's contribution to peace building.

"I was nervous, I just remember being in the Guildhall by myself and just waiting for what felt like ages for the time to pass to make the introduction," Ms McDaid said.

"Martin McGuinness was there and so was John and Pat Hume, all key architects of the Good Friday Agreement.

"I had some time before I went out and I actually spoke with Bill Clinton before I got on stage and he put me right at ease. He spoke like any true statesman would and he was just so lovely."

It was a daunting task, she said, but one she was incredibly proud to do.

After her speech, Ms McDaid and her family gathered with Mr Clinton to pose for photographs together.

"I treasure that moment and those photographs to this day," she said.

"He was very generous with his time then and he is also very generous with his time in terms of Ireland and particularly in terms of Derry."

Ms McDaid said the 42nd US President "clearly has a place for us and I value that".

The former president's last visit to Derry was to attend the funeral of Northern Ireland's former deputy first minister Martin McGuinness in 2017.

Mr Clinton will return to the city on Tuesday evening to pay a posthumous tribute to John Hume and David Trimble.