Members of Friends of the Factories protest at new artwork

“If they are trying to honour the factory girls, they got it badly wrong. This is not a good day for the factory girls; it is the saddest day of our lives.”

This was the blistering description of the scheduled, official unveiling of the Factory Girls artwork at Derry’s Harbour Square given by Clare Moore.

A member of the Friends of the Factories organisation which comprises the workers, women predominantly, who historically worked in the city’s shirt factories, Ms Moore was joined at the artwork by former colleagues: Isabel Doherty, Sadie O’Kane, Mary Doherty, Theresa McLaughlin, and Sadie Harkin.

Clare Moore was joined by Factory Girls: Isabel Doherty, Sadie O'Kane, Mary Doherty, Theresa McLaughlin and Sadie Harkin at today's protest.

In protest the women unfurled a banner which read ‘These Factory Girls Say No: online poll shows over 90% of the public say no as well!’

WATCH: Members of Friends of the Factories stage protest at newly installed sculpture in Derry

'We weren't invited here today but we invited ourselves because the vast majority said 'No' - Clare Moore

Derry's Factory Girls creating history

'I have great memories of working in the City Factory' - Margaret McCourt

The Factory Girls artwork was created by artist Chris Wilson. The design is based on the shape of spools of thread as used in the shirt factories; it consists of three bell-shaped forms with night-time illumination.

‘Unwrapped’ on March 14, the piece was due to be officially unveiled on Wednesday; this has now been postponed until May 22.

Speaking to The Derry News, Ms Moore said they were at the artwork “to be seen and heard”.

“Because we have been ignored,” she added. “A blind eye and a deaf ear have been turned to our feelings about this artwork. It does in no way please us. Definitely not. And no-one wanted to know. We weren’t invited here today but we invited ourselves because the vast majority said ‘No’”.

“We wanted to show the other side which has not been highlighted at all. We know the people of Derry are disappointed. The general public and the majority of the factory girls who took part in an online poll - more than 90% - did not accept it. They said ‘No’ and that is being ignored.

“We wanted to come along and display that today, on a day when others are celebrating something that we are not happy about and are very disappointed about,” said Ms Moore.

Clare Moore said the factory girls had had misgivings about the process surrounding the proposed Harbour Square artwork from the very beginning.

“The moment we were brought into the room in the Guildhall for the unveiling of the maquette (a small-scale model) we were in shock,” she said.

“It took a year and a half to get to that point. We had been attending meetings up until then and we were given no say whatsoever in what came into Council and how the final design was selected. We were told in no uncertain terms we could not be part of that process. We were told there were rules and all sorts of reasons why not. But it doesn’t stand up that at least one factory girl could not have been included to look at the final five or six proposed designs even and give an opinion.

“In our first meeting with Council they just said what was happening and when, that was it. When we requested sight of the proposed designs the answer was a very definite ‘No’. I got the feeling we were being told not to ‘rock the boat’ or the funding might fall through and we might get nothing.

“We were invited to all of these meetings and it kind of looked to people like we were involved in every way but we were not involved in the most important way - what the finished artwork was going to look like.

“To be honest, all of us at our age didn’t have another 10 or 15 or 20 years, so that was the position we were put in in the room and, until today, nobody outside knew that,” said Ms Moore.

“When the maquette was unveiled, we were all totally and utterly shocked and disappointed and upset,” she added. “In that moment we felt there was nothing we could do. The artist was standing looking at us. Everybody was standing around. Nobody said anything.

“Maybe if one person had got up and left and been honest, it would have been better. In retrospect, If I go back to the day of the meeting when we were told we couldn’t see any of the proposed designs or have any part in choosing the final piece, we probably should have got up and left the room at that point.

“But we felt as if we were in a corner. We had a dilemma. Did we pull it all down or did we go along in the hope that they would choose something meaningful? In fact that was one of the things they said throughout the meeting, ‘Trust us. It will be something very special’. We were hanging onto the hope it would be special,” said Clare Moore.

Isabel Doherty recalled at one meeting the factory girls were asked about sayings they would have used at work.

“These were supposed to be replicated on the finished artwork but only two quotes were used. This does not correspond at all with what we were led to believe was going to happen,” she said.

“We are very, very disappointed in the final artwork. I don’t think anything of it at all. I think they would have been better with nothing than that sitting outside the Guildhall. It does not represent the women I worked with or the work we did. It does not even look like spools of thread. It is awful looking.”

Agreeing, Sadie O’Kane said: “I was a young factory girl myself and this artwork does not represent anything to do with the factory girls. Anyone looking at it would not have a clue what it is all about.”

Clare Moore said the factory girls were not respected throughout the process.

“We were brought into the meetings and we were told, the living and breathing factory girls in the room, we couldn’t see anything, we couldn’t choose anything, we couldn’t even give an opinion, that was out of our bounds. That in itself was an insult and an injury.”

An unimpressed Theresa McLaughlin said nobody in Derry was wowed by the artwork. “I have heard nothing but negative views about it,” she added.

A spokesperson for Derry City and Strabane District Council said it had “fully engaged throughout all stages of the process, from the very initial stages right through to the design concept and appointment of the artist, with local representatives from the factory girls.”

The spokesperson added: “In fact, the local factory girls’ representatives have played a very key role in this very important project.

“As part of the engagement process, the factory girls were invited to contribute to and approve the artist brief for the project. The brief encouraged shortlisted artists to engage directly with the factory girls during their research phase.

“This approach was integral to the winning artist’s concept development: Chris Wilson collaborated closely with representatives of the factory girls as part of his research, ensuring their voices and experiences shaped the final work. Indeed, the phrases incorporated into the artwork were drawn directly from dedicated workshops led by the artist with the factory girls.

IN PICTURES: Factory Girls unwrap special sculpture at Derry's Harbour Square

The new sculpture will be the centrepiece of the public realm works currently underway

“In addition to engaging with local factory girls’ representatives, the Council also invited the public to come and view the design.

“Throughout this initiative, the Council has engaged regularly with all parties involved to keep them up to date with the project. Just last month, representatives from the factory girls were given a preview of the art work and were invited to attend the unveiling of the sculpture. The feedback from them was very positive, and in addition to attending the preview, they were included in a photocall and provided supportive quotes and endorsements and openly acknowledged the Council and the Department for Communities for successfully delivering the artwork.

“The Council is extremely disappointed that anyone feels excluded from the process and is more than happy to meet with any individual or group to discuss any concerns they may have.

“The Council is extremely proud of the new art piece and believes it is a fitting tribute to the role played by factory girls in our culture and history. The Council looks forward to the new art piece being formally launched as part of the wider Harbour Square Public Realm Project by the Communities Minister in the coming weeks.”