The Essay

Dublin born Nuala Hayes first came to Derry in the 1970s to act in Brian Friel's early Field Day productions, including the first staging of Translations at the height of the 'troubles'. Since then she has become fascinated with the city's many stories, and in particular those of the famous shirt factories. Nuala ponders the common threads of the city's shirt factory and story-telling traditions, examining the shirt as a symbol in Irish poetry and literature, and on the factory floors of Derry where story-telling became a way of life for the city's women.