Wartime Wedding Dress Donated to Newry and Mourne Museum

A unique wedding dress, which was worn by three sisters at each of their weddings in the 1940s, has been donated to Newry and Mourne Museum.

The sisters were daughters of John Edgar Bailey from Moybrick, near Dromara, who served as the Unionist MP for West Down in the Northern Ireland government from 1938 until his death in 1958. Mr Bailey was also Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture (1956-1958) and Assistant Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Finance (1945-1958).

The dress, which was made by Ethel Beck from Dromara, was first worn by Evelyn Bailey at her wedding in 1941 and then by her sisters, Rebecca and Molly, in 1945 and 1947 respectively.

Celebrating the donation at an event on Tuesday 12 March, which was attended by members of the Bailey and Beck families, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Deputy Chairperson, Councillor Oksana McMahon said, “We are grateful to the families for their generous gift to the Museum which enables a special part of local heritage to be preserved for the local community.”

Newry and Mourne Museum curator, Noreen Cunningham said, “We are delighted that this wonderful dress, with its fascinating story, has been donated to the Museum and will make a very important addition to our Costume Collection.”

The wedding dress, which is accompanied by original wedding photographs on loan from the family, will be on display at the Museum until late November 2019.

Newry and Mourne Museum is open to the public seven days a week, with free admission.

For more information about the exhibit, or the Museum, telephone 028 3031 3178 or visit bagenalscastle.com.