Irish Linen Tour - Lisburn
No-one knows how the complex series of processes which turn the
attractive blue-flowered flax plant into cloth were discovered, but we
do know that it has been cultivated in Ireland since the Celts arrived
in the first millennium B.C. What is certain is that commercial linen
production in Ireland had become concentrated in Armagh, Down and
Antrim, particularly in the Lagan and Bann Valleys, by the late
1700's. Since then, Ulster linen has been recognised as the world's
finest.
The wondrous process of turning flax into linen include processes
such as retting, scutching and hackling, all of which look as if they
were designed to destroy the tender flax stems. However, when the
fibre is spun into yarn, you have the basis of a fabric whose elegance
graces the tables and beds of the rich and famous, yet which is strong
enough to last many lifetimes. The Irish Linen Tour is a journey which
will guide you through the landscape, history and people which have
shaped and influenced this elegant product. |
