What Is Lisburn’s Association With Linen?

Lisburn is a city situated on the banks of the river Lagan and lying partly in County Atrim and partly in County Down, in Northern Ireland. The name of Lisburn in Irish is Lisnagarvy, meaning `fort of the gamesters', which is actually a reference to the number of defencive hill forts in the area in early medieval times.

In 1611 James I granted some parts of lands to Sir Fulke Conway who had fought for the Earl of Essex in the King's campaign against the O'Neills; Sir Fulke laid the foundation for the future prosperity of the place when he established Market Square, Castle Street, Bridge Street and Bow Street and encouraged settlers from his estates in Warwickshire and Wales.

Another major reason for the development of Lisburn and especially the flowering of the linen industry was the influx of French Protestants known as Huguenots to escape from religious persecution to the British Isles in the 17th and 18th centuries where they settled in several places like at Lisburn. The skills which they brought with them proved beneficial for the development of the linen industry.

In the 19th and 20th centuries during the Industrial Revolution, Lisburn became the hub of the linen trade; it was a well connected city served by canal, rail and road to other parts. Today Lisburn has grown into a bustling market town and also houses the Irish Linen Centre, part of the Lisburn Museum, which is located inside Lisburn's former market house where brown linen was sold. It also holds live demonstrations of the old linen weaving process using hand looms.

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