Friel's Terrace was a row of nine houses in the middle of Nailor's Row, known locally as 'The Back of the Walls' because it ran parallel to, and facing, Derry's Walls and overlooked the Bogside.

Phil Cunningham was reared from 1937 until twelve years old in these now long-gone streets. This is his account, told with humour and affection, of the events, people and conditions he encountered in and around the city during those formative years.

As Garbhan Downey, editor of the Derry News, commented,

'I think it was his humour that grabbed me first, the razor-sharp insights into the mischievous world of the urchin child. I loved the style too; gentle, innocent narrative, homely and homespun. Another charm was the recognition of a common Derry history. I met characters my father and grandfather might have known personally... Some of the vignettes were familiar too - anecdotes almost myth-like in their universal appeal.'