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Friends of the Factories
Linking arms with the Shirt Factory workers, The Factory Girls, and women of the past, walking their stories and legacy into the present.
Friends of the Factories (FOTF) - Honouring the people, the places and the buildings associated with the Shirt Factory Industries of the City of Derry/Londonderry and beyond.
- Acknowledging the hidden herstory of the women that came before through a lasting legacy.
Honoured to have our campaign awarded and nominated - Women's History Network Community History Prize Winners 2021
Finalists in the Derry Journal People of the Year Awards 2022 - Community Champion Awards
Committed to working alongside other campaigns aiming to acknowledge the many forgotten women & their contributions to society.
To find out more and get involved check out - inVisble Women Campaigns and Herstory.ie
A wee bit about us - Friends of the Factories
Friends of the Factories (FOTF) – is a grass roots group. Connecting Ex-Shirt Factory workers, Ex-Factory Workers, descendants of Factory Workers, and anyone with an interest in community projects and local history, from The City of Derry/ Londonderry, and beyond.
Our aim is to recognise, record & honour the legacy of the shirt factory industries and the women's history associated with it.
Acknowledging the contribution they made to the City and remembering it for generations to come.
FOTF were honoured to have had the group and campaign recognised in the hometown were the Shirt Factory Plaques are located, at The Derry Journal People of the Year Awards 2022. ( Yvonne Norris, Dr Keith Munro, Clare Moore, Mary White, Mary Doherty, Deirdre Williams, Sadie Harkin.)
The Factory Workers kept the City alive during difficult times...
'they kept the lights on and food on the tables' (G.Moore 2021)
Join the (private) Facebook group, to be kept up to date & connect with former factory workers.
The Shirt Factory Friends
FOTF united former factory workers in the sharing of memories, supported by many & represented by former Factory Girls, like Clare Moore who has been tirelessly campaigning, since 2004, for the recognition of the Factory Workers in the City.
Clare, alongside the iconic Factory Girls like Mary White, Isobel Doherty and Mary Doherty to name but a few inspiring women; have campaigned to ensure the legacy of the Factory Workers is not forgotten, refusing to give up despite the scrapping of an original publicly funded public sculpture - which was shelved after significant investment in 2018, and to date has yet to be completed.
FOTF came together to recognise the factory workers to ensure they are remembered now, before as many felt, it was too late.
The group are beyond proud, as a grass roots movement, to have delivered a lasting legacy; celebrating and displaying the power of friendship, feminism and force of the women from the City & beyond.
History of the Shirt Factories
Shirt Factory Worker Sculpture shelved
New Derry Factory artwork plans announced October 2020
Derry's Factory Girls Deserve Better - March 2023
Campaigners from across the years supporting the recognition of The Factory Workers and Factory Girls from the City & beyond.
(L-R FR) Clare Moore, Mary White, Mary Doherty , supporting the former Mayor and Staff from The Tower Museum at the opening of the Shirt Factory Exhibition June 2021.
The women factory workers have a history of becoming involved in political as well as work place struggles. With Derry's Factory Girls becoming the first unionised group of women in Ireland.
Clare Moore (2012)
Former Factory Girl
'The project, which was first suggested 25 years ago, was expected to honour the thousands of the local shirt factory workers who formed the backbone to Derry’s economy for over a century.' (2017)
Selection of Factory photos -
Thanks to The Tower Museum for permission to share.
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