HISTORY

Object Name: T shirt
Description: T shirt showing support for the 2019 Harland and Wolff shipyard workers protest from the LGBT community. The shipyards' Norwegian parent company Fred. Olsen & Co. put the company up for sale in 2018 but no buyer was found, forcing them into administration. Workers occupied the shipyard for over 9 weeks before London energy firm InfraStrata bought the shipyard on October 1st 2019, saving over 120 jobs. The t shirts were made by Queerspace for their participation in Newry Pride. They were asked to lead the parade just behind the dignitaries with a replica of the very first banner 'Christopher St Gay Liberation Day 1970'. They decided to make T shirts for the group to show solidarity with the shipyard workers, as some participants had strong family connections with the shipyard.
Materials: cotton
Catalogue Number: BELUM.W2020.33
Notes: National Museums Northern Ireland

National Museums NI holds over a million objects in the collection, as well as this we manage the records and associated images for each object through a working database. The national collection has been almost 200 years in the making, and we recognise that thinking about collecting and collections has evolved over this time and continues to evolve. As a result, some of our records may contain language and views that we now consider offensive and unacceptable, for example, reflecting racist attitudes. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to reviewing and updating our records accordingly. Working with researchers, communities and academic partners we are learning more about the stories behind objects, and we are committed to sharing these with our audiences. We welcome feedback. Please email [email protected]