An unearthed documentary has given a rare insight into the industry and workers that built Derry throughout the 19 th and early 20 th century.
A City Solitary was first broadcast in 1963 and focused on the people that made Derry through its various industries.
Many of the industries mentioned such as distilleries, tanneries and nail makers and are of an age long gone, and it is a refreshing sight to see the legacy they left behind.
The documentary opens with a woman singing Danny Boy while a man boards a ship leaving Derry’s port. The narrator said: “The emigrant has been Derry’s greatest export.”
He gives us an insight to the global connections Derry had in sending people to live abroad to Quebec, New York and Philadelphia.
The circumstances around the large amount of emigration harks a similarity to life in Derry ever since: “The flood continues and for the same basic reason: dissatisfaction with their lot at home and with their total lack of opportunity.”
For many still in the North West, they feel a lack of opportunity and feel they have little chance in achieving their desired life.
A City Solitary touches upon the different living conditions between ‘the Protestant merchant and the Catholic labourer. The narrator states that this helps to explain the ‘width and depth’ of Derry’s religious divide.
With the documentary being released in 1963, it is a ghostly indication of the times to come.
In a later segment, the narrator said: “There is hope too. Hope in the youth of the city and in their education.” It is a sad statement in that soon the hope of the youth would largely be extinguished by the beginning of the Troubles.
The shirt factory women of Derry soon take centre stage in the documentary. With footage of the women coming out of the numerous factories, the narrator makes their importance clear by commending their ‘great skill’.
He said: “These women have built Derry into one of the major centres of the shirt trade. It has been the biggest single factor in the city’s growth.
“As a city, modern Derry has been built largely by its women.”
Despite recounting failed industries in Derry and the visible religious divide, the narrator remains hope and praises the Derry workers.
He said: “There is hope in the rise of the new industries and in the adaptability of the Derry worker. There is hope in the people themselves, a hardworking people becoming more and more conscious of their own responsibility for their city’s future.
“Proud of their city and its traditions, thy will not let it die. The future of Derry like its past lies in the hands of its citizens, that future can be a glorious one.”
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