Press Release

New Public Art will acknowledge role of women in Derry shirt factories

Thursday, 16 December 2004

Derry City Council, in partnership with the Department for Social Development’s North West Development Office, plans to commission a new piece of Public Artwork for the city.

The artwork will celebrate the working life of the women central to Derry’s shirt making industry. It is intended to unveil this latest addition to the city’s public art next year.

Members of the Council’s Recreation and Leisure Committee have voted in favour of setting up a project management team to deliver the proposal.

The Mayor, Councillor Gearoid O’hEara who has spearheaded the campaign to acknowledge the contribution women from the shirt factories made to the city, said he was delighted the project was given the go-ahead.

“This is an exciting and innovative project for the city. For the past 40 years the women of this city have played a pivotal role in the social and economic life of Derry. I feel it is vitally important to acknowledge the important role they played in making Derry the city that it is today. I believe that this artwork will be a fitting tribute to the women of this city.”

Declan O’Hare, Director of the North West Development Office, said: “ The Department for Social Development recognises the contribution of public art to local identity and a sense of place. In recent years the North West Development Office has facilitated the installation of iconic pieces in Derry and Strabane that quickly became symbols of these towns. This latest piece of public art will provide deserved recognition of the role played by women in Derry’s shirt making industry and in the wider life of this city. It will also enhance the city’s public realm and reinforce the role culture and arts are playing in the regeneration of Derry.”

A project management team consisting of the Mayor, elected members and officials from both Derry City Council and the North West Development Office has been established to oversee the project.

Ends

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