William Pirrie was the Managing Director of the Harland and Wolff shipyard and also served as Lord Mayor of Belfast between 1896 and 1898. He was instrumental in the conception of Olympic class liners built at Harland and Wolff. The bust was ordinally unveiled on his grave in Belfast’s City Cemetery following his death in 1924. After restoration, the bust was rededicated here in 2006 on the 159th anniversary of William Pirrie’s birth.
