Derry's proud history woven into hearts and minds

Derry’s proud shirt factory heritage was honoured during the Mass which commemorated the 150th anniversary of the city’s St Eugene’s Cathedral.

The special Mass took place on Sunday afternoon, celebrated by Bishop Dónal McKeown, who wore a new chasuble specially made for the occasion by former shirt factory worker, Creggan native Marie Horton.

Speaking to Derry Now, Marie explained how a chance meeting in Shipquay Fabrics resulted in her being asked to make a chasuble, mitre and stole for Bishop McKeown for the anniversary Mass.

“About three months ago, I met Teresa who works in the Diocesan Office up in Shipquay Fabrics. She was buying material to make altar cloths. She wanted a wee bit of embroidery on them and Maria, who owns the shop, pointed to me and said, ‘There’s the very person who will embroider them for you’ and that is how I was introduced to the Cathedral.

Marie's granddaughter Olivia with the Mitre and Chasuble made for Bishop McKeown.

“When I was leaving the altar clothes down, Teresa asked me if I would make a chasuble. I was a bit taken aback for a minute but then I said, ‘Okay, I’ll give it a go,” smiled Marie.

“So, I started doing my research and about a fortnight later I was asking what colours they had in mind and they told me the theme was the shirt factories. Well I was absolutely delighted and said ‘Thank God’.

“You see, I used to work in a shirt factory. I worked in Desmond’s in Drumahoe for seven years in the cutting room. But, I learned my sewing and embroidery from my Mammy, Rosaleen O’Hagan (née McAnaney) from Bishop Street. Mammy worked in the Star Shirt Factory,” said Marie.

Marie fondly recalled helping her Mammy making the costumes for the Creggan shows put on by Fr Jimmy Doherty and his fellow priests. “It just escalated from there and I thought, ‘I really like dressmaking.’” said Marie.

Marie with the Chasuble she made and embroidered for Bishop McKeown.

“The first thing I did was to put a post on the Memories of Creggan Facebook page asking people to help me get a full list of the names of all the shirt factories that had once been in Derry,” said Marie. “I had some names but straight away everybody started answering with more and more names and that is how I got all of the names of the factories together.

“I started then to think about the religious aspect of the chasuble and how I was going to incorporate the works of life into the Church because that is really what the Church is about and I thought I would use the needles and the threads and the buttons. I thought that would tie everything together, so they are all embroidered on the chasuble.

“When I had the main frame of the chasuble cut out, I decided I was going to incorporate the oak leafs of Derry the whole way around it and embroider it with the names of all of the shirt factories. I then had to think about a colour. I decided, because a chasuble is a holy garment and is not a theatrical piece, to keep the embroidery self colour with the fabric.

The front of the Chasuble which shows Tillie and Henderson's Shirt Factory.

“The front of the chasuble features the mainstay of the Church which is the Cross and because it was representing the shirt factories, I appliqued shirt material into it, so the Cross is done in lovely purple shirt and the oak leaves are done in a lovely green, appliqued all in through it,” said Marie.

Marie then chose the Dove as a representation of the Holy Spirit who brought down the gifts to humanity.

“I thought I’d do the Dove carrying ribbons to tie the religious aspect tied in with the ordinary working day. Obviously then I included  the sewing machine and the praying hands. That got me thinking about how a lot of times when you are actually working  on something, you will put your hands together and pray to God it is going to work out,” said Marie. “The whole way through making that chasuble that is what it was like, that is what I kept thinking,” laughed Marie.

Like much else in life today, garment making has gone digital and Marie is now skilled in using a computer in her sewing.

She explained: “Things have certainly moved on over the years. You are now looking at using both the computer and the sewing machines. Some work is hand digitised, where you are moving the material through the machine yourself but the majority of it is done by machines.

“My husband, Jim, built me a workroom here years ago with everything in it.”

The back of the Chasuble which shows the Rosemount Shirt Factory.

Sadly Jim passed away eight years ago in August, after which Marie said she cut back on her dressmaking.

With a glint in her eye Marie recounted the lovely story of how she and Jim had met.

“I met Jim in Desmonds. He was an apprentice electrician at the time and he was in with Young’s Electrics rewiring the machines.

“For the ween of weeks he was out in Drumahoe, we travelled home together on the factory bus. He lived in Westway. We had never seen one another in our lives till Desmond’s factory and two years later we married. I was 20 and Jim was 21. We had four children: William, Stephen, Mary, Nicola.

“When Jim passed I cut back a good bit on the dress-making to be honest because my wanes needed me. Two weeks after her Daddy died my daughter went into early labour and her baby was born at 28 weeks. To make it worse, she then lost her own husband, Kevin.

“So, family was more important than the sewing and then I started fostering,” said Marie, who has welcomed babies and teens into her home.

“One baby was with me for two and a half years,” said Marie with obvious love, “and another one was with me for a year. I have also had a whole lot of teenagers come and go. I find it hard letting them go but it is also very rewarding when you see them going to their forever home, happy.”

Making the chasuble took Marie about eight weeks from beginning to end.

She said: “The Mitre matches the chasuble with the Cross and the oak leaves and the stole has shirt fabric along the bottom.

“I have to say, I didn’t think it was going to turn out as well as it did. Everything was a perfect fit too. I knew in my head what I wanted to achieve and I am really pleased with the final result. Also, I didn’t think it was going to become as big a story as it has with all of this publicity. I was sick with nerves before I did the television interview. That is not me at all.

St Eugene’s was packed on Sunday afternoon. Archbishop Martin was there and the Papal Nuncio too. When Bishop McKeown mentioned me from the altar and everybody clapped, I thought ‘That’s grand’  but the next thing Anne Marie came running down and grabbed me by the hand and the Bishop took me to the altar. I couldn’t believe it.

“I am so pleased that I had a small part in the 150th anniversary celebrations for St Eugene’s. It was a wee moment in history.

“I am also thankful that Teresa told me to put a wee recognition in the bottom of the chasuble, a wee dedication for myself. So, at the very bottom, in self colour, I embroidered the words: ‘Made by Marie Horton, in loving memory of her loving husband Jim and her son-in-law Kevin. So, Jim and Kevin are part of Derry’s history too. I was glad to do that for Kevin’s Mammy and Daddy.”