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

Representatives of Derry’s Factory Girls had the honour today of unwrapping the new sculpture for the first time which will be the centrepiece of the public realm works currently underway at Harbour Square in the city.

They joined the Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Councillor Lilian Seenoi Barr, and artist Chris Wilson who created the sculpture ‘Memory Lines’, a piece dedicated to the many generations of shirt factory workers who powered the city’s economy for over a century. The design is based on the shapes of spools of thread used in the shirt factories and the piece will be the focal point of the reimagined public realm area beside the Guildhall.

The sculpture is supported by the Department for Communities and Derry City and Strabane District Council, as a key element of an exciting wider project that will transform Harbour Square, Custom House Street, Guildhall Street, Whittaker Street, and the Foyle Embankment and other parts of Derry’s city centre and riverfront area.

An official opening event is planned in the coming weeks, with project partners, political representatives and the local community all invited to mark the completion of the Harbour Square works, and the long-awaited tribute to the factory workers.

PICTURED BELOW: Mayor Lilian Seenoi-Barr and factory girl Mary Doherty preparing to unwrap the Factory Girls' sculpture in Harbour Square, on Thursday. Included is artist Chris Wilson. The design is based on the shapes of spools of thread as used in the shirt factory. (Photos - Tom Heaney, nwpresspics)