Refugee Artists and Craftworkers in Derry, Northern Ireland

Derry city, aka Londonderry, was one of the first places in Northern Ireland to which refugee workers from Vienna came to escape Nazi persecution. A Viennese businessman who had already settled in London was able to take advantage of Northern Irelands New Industries Development Act (1937) to found enterprises in Newtownards and in Derry, comprised of workshops run by crafts workers from Vienna with local trainee employees. Many of the master craftsmen employed had run their own businesses in Vienna, designing, manufacturing and selling machine knitwear, leather work, wooden and stuffed toys, hats and ornaments. Outside of work, several of the immigrant workers had other skills in the arts, such as piano playing and photography.

This talk by Philippa Robinson will focus on two visual artists employed at "Londonderry Continental Novelties", who did not run manufacturing businesses, but did have useful design skills. Henrietta Friedek Roddy had illustrated childrens’ books and Zerline "Nini" Steiner was an accomplished portrait painter. 

Another way for women to get permission to come to the UK was to work as a domestic servant. After the war was over, survivor Edith Hofmann of Prague came to stay with her older sister who had come to Derry as a domestic worker. Edith spent two years in school at Londonderry High School before moving to London for further study. As an artist, Edith Hofmann Birkin later became particularly well-known for her powerful depictions of ghetto and death camp scenes.

Philippa Robinson has spent most of her adult life in Northern Ireland. Although she knew of the still functioning synagogue in Belfast, it was only on a visit to the Irish Jewish Museum in Dublin that she learned that there was once a Londonderry Hebrew Synagogue (1894-1948). Her interest in learning more became stronger after she returned from temporary work teaching English in Poland. She has presented talks locally, and prepared an exhibition for Holocaust Memorial Day which was exhibited in Waterside and Central Libraries. She also wrote an article in Irish for "Lá" about the refugee resettlement camp in Millisle, Co Down.