Shirt Factory Memory Days: free Derry event on 4 September

demoduck.co.uk editorial team 2026-08-14 19:03 3 min read

The Tower Museum at the historic Derry city walls under a cloudy sky.

Former shirt factory workers — and anyone holding photographs, documents, objects or family memories connected to the industry — can bring them to Shirt Factory Memory Days at the Tower Museum in Derry on 4 September 2026.

The free drop-in event will run from 1pm to 5pm. No advance booking is stated. Visitors can record oral histories, help identify historic material and discuss potential donations to the museum’s collections.

Derry City and Strabane District Council says the event builds on work to preserve the area’s internationally significant shirt-making heritage. It gives people with first-hand knowledge another opportunity to place names, experiences and working practices alongside surviving textiles and factory records.

Memories, photographs and objects can all help

Shirt Factory Memory Days is intended for former factory workers as well as relatives, collectors and other residents with material connected to the local industry. Contributions do not have to take the form of finished written accounts: the museum team will also be gathering recorded memories and information about photographs and objects.

Visitors may be able to identify people, workplaces or items that currently lack sufficient context in the collections. The event will also allow the museum to discuss new donations with people who have relevant documents, textiles or factory objects.

Shirt Factory Memory Days: free Derry event on 4 September

Interviews have already been recorded with former shirt factory machinists and a former factory owner through the Archives Revealed – Exploring the Shirt Factory Archive project. The relationships established through that work are expected to support further recordings over the coming months.

Quilt project added eight donations to the collection

The Memory Days follow the completion of Stitched – the Shirt Factory Quilt Project at the Tower Museum. Supported by a Northern Ireland Museums Council Museum Collections Capital Grant, the project enabled staff to conserve, assess and document textiles associated with Derry’s shirt factories.

Volunteer quilters led by Margaret Lee of Shirt Tales NI contributed specialist knowledge about quilt construction, materials and local textile traditions. That collaboration recorded details that had not previously formed part of the museum documentation.

The wider work has already led to the donation of eight additional quilts, along with archive material and objects relating to the factories. Museum Service Manager Margaret Edwards said volunteer expertise and community donations had uncovered new information and strengthened the collections.

Factory stories will inform the new DNA Museum

The oral histories, textiles and archive material are being preserved for future research and interpretation. They will also influence the development of the DNA Museum — Derry~Londonderry on the North Atlantic — at Ebrington Square.

That gives contributors a defined role beyond sharing personal recollections at a community gathering. Names, workplace experiences and specialist knowledge recorded during the event can help explain objects in the collection and preserve details that may not appear in formal factory records.

Planning a visit to the Tower Museum

The confirmed event details are:

Event: Shirt Factory Memory Days
Date: 4 September 2026
Time: 1pm–5pm
Venue: Tower Museum, Derry
Cost: Free
Entry: Drop-in
Who can attend: Former shirt factory workers and anyone with relevant memories, photographs, documents or objects

The supplied notice does not specify a street address, accessibility arrangements or transport information. A second Memory Days event is scheduled at Strabane Library later in September, but its exact date and time have not yet been provided; readers can contact the Museum Service or follow the Tower Museum’s social media channels for updates.

Source: Derry City and Strabane Council News

Context & actions About this article

Source check Source trail

The event preview was prepared from the council notice and its confirmed practical details.

Checks

Checked the Tower Museum date and opening hours against the supplied event information.
Confirmed that the Derry event is listed as free and drop-in.
Matched the intended audience and requested contributions to the council notice.
Noted that the later Strabane Library event does not yet have a confirmed date or time.

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