The flax crop was an important part of the rural economy of Co. Monaghan for over two hundred and fifty years, but since its demise after the second World war its importance has largely been forgotten. Most of the older generations who worked at the flax have now passed on and the magnificent mills have fallen in too ruins or disappeared completely.
Thanks to Sean Moen and the ‘Old Mill Museum’ Clontibret a renewed interest in the crop has been generated. This has resulted in the production of a new DVD titled ‘The Flax Crop’ which covers the production of the crop from sowing to the weaving of linen which the crop produced. Recorded over a six-month period in Clontibret, Dromore Co. Down, The Ulster American Folk Park Omagh, and Ballybay this DVD gives an insight to how previous generations worked to generate….
