FE McWilliam Gallery

Shore Collective Threads of Time: Industry, Ecology, and the River Bann

15 May – Summer 2026

The F.E. McWilliam Gallery & Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council are delighted to present Shore Collective’s exhibition Threads of Time: Ecology and the River Bann. Threads of Time is a collaborative, multi-disciplinary art project focusing on the River Bann and its impact on the towns, people and industries around Banbridge and Portadown. Through their art works, the members of Shore Collective explore the heritage of the Bann, from its days at the heart of Irish linen production to its contemporary role in agriculture and the environmental impact of industry.
Shore Collective is an artist-led initiative and group studio based at the heart of Northern Ireland. It was founded by a group of creative local people and brings together artists from across a variety of media including fine art painting, textiles, photography, performance art, music, writing, ceramics and sculpture. With group studio spaces at Mount Zion House in Lurgan, Shore Collective gives artists the opportunity to develop their individual working practice, engage with a wider audience and showcase their work together both locally and internationally.
The Shore Collective members who have contributed to this exhibition are:
Arlene Marks, Joanna Breen, Dermot Burns, Maurice Burns, Ciara Campbell-Crawford, Tara Campbell, Chris Dummigan, Shaun Fitzpatrick, Eimear Harkin, Caitriona Kearns, Riona Kearns, Louise Lennon, Ciaran Maginnis,  Kelly McCluskey, Julie McGowan, Kathryn Nelson, Kate Ritchie, Aislinn Prescott, Sandra Turley and Carol Willey.

Shore Collective would like to express their thanks to Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council for their continued support.

I looked at old bank notes and basing my artwork off an old Bank of Ireland Five pound note that was in circulation from 1900- 1997. Gilford Mill was still in operation. The Linen industry was a big part of our exports and economy. I wanted to include a few other notable mentions. Tyre tracks from Dunlop. Harry Ferguson tractor and in the lower left Moy Park chickens, which would later sell its chicken company to Pilgrams for 8 Billion.

Bank notes are a way of illustrating our history and culture. Northern Ireland was particularly special that each bank produced their own bank notes with their own take on what that meant for them.

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What the Public Want.     100cm x 70cm     Acrylic on Linen
The planning has been granted for this site to be redeveloped into flats and some designs have been made up. Using drone footage by Gary Elliott who has given permission to use a still from his footage I then used a combination of AI and photoshop to reimagine this area.
This 1834 Mill is a Grade B listed building complex that would be repurposed into flats or affordable housing. Play area for young children and footpaths along the River Bann. A generous car park at the back, low maintenance communal gardens. Solar panels to offset expensive power demands. Recreating the man-made pond at the front to encourage wildlife.