Watt’s Distillery in Derry once stood as one of the city’s great industrial employers. It operated successfully for decades and produced whiskey that was shipped far beyond Ireland, yet locally the name became associated with something far darker. The distillery closed in 1925, but for many years before and after that date, stories circulated of tragic deaths, restless spirits and warnings from beyond the grave.

Although the enterprise was profitable, it developed a reputation for cutting corners when it came to the safety of the men who worked there. Maintenance was often delayed or ignored, and in an environment filled with flammable vapours, that lack of caution was particularly dangerous. During the First World War, a serious fire broke out inside the complex. Several workers lost their lives, and the shock of the incident left a deep mark on the community.

According to long-standing accounts, the terrible screams of the men who perished were heard for years afterward, echoing from the buildings long after the flames were extinguished. Old hands at the distillery claimed that a young man who had died in the blaze would sometimes be seen walking the corridors before an accident. His appearance, they said, was a signal that something was about to go wrong — an warning that sent fellow workers sharply onto their guard. Some even believed that this mysterious apparition saved lives.

Yet the most extraordinary tale associated with Watt’s Distillery unfolded several years after the fire. A young apprentice plumber, living nearby, awoke one morning to see what looked like his own image standing at the foot of his bed. Startled and frightened, he told his mother what he had seen. She was convinced that the vision was a warning and insisted that her son stay home from work.

The boy’s father strongly objected — he considered such beliefs nonsense and was angered that his son might lose a day’s wages over a “dream.” Nevertheless, the boy remained at home. When evening came, the father returned a very different man. A boiler had exploded at the distillery during the day, killing the plumber instantly. Had the apprentice been in his usual place, he would almost certainly have died alongside him.

The boy’s mother maintained for the rest of her life that the strange encounter was a premonition — a warning delivered in the most startling form imaginable. Whether a trick of the mind or something more mysterious, the timing was too exact to ignore.

Today Watt’s Distillery is long gone, but its stories remain woven into Derry’s industrial past. For some, they are simply tales of misfortune. For others, they are reminders that when tragedy leaves its mark, echoes of the past sometimes refuse to fade.