Hello, in this programme I'm talking face to face to a man who's had a significant bearing on the events of the past 50 years and on our understanding of them.

He spent a lifetime campaigning and writing. He's always been something of a political outsider.

He held elected office late in life and even then only briefly, but his worldview and his unmistakable delivery

is to many people here instantly recognizable.

Eamann McCann, welcome to Red Lions.

Thanks for having me.

We're recording this interview in a community centre

that's only a couple of minutes away from your home

in Cragon here, in your home city of Derry.

Or is it London Derry? Or do you care?

I really don't care about the name. I mean, I call the town Derry. I've always called

it Derry. I'm not going to call anything else. And people don't like that. They can go

jump in the lake. On the other hand, if somebody wants to call it London, I'm not offended by it.

It's a name.

Like, you know, I've said people being offended by that sort of thing.

So it's silly.

I remember you telling me a few years ago when we were chatting that you found yourself

taking a perverse pleasure out of referring to yourself as Northern Irish.

When you were signing hotel registers, you'd sign Northern Irish.

And you quite liked it.

You still do that.

Oh, I still do that.

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