Online Education & Media
Educational resources and films from the past and present of Northern Ireland’s linen industry and heritage are tucked away amongst the layers and folds of information online.
We have collated selected pieces from the wealth that exists, but are always looking for more to add to this collection.
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A resource for teachers exploring the Northern Ireland’s linen industry with students. With guides to collecting social history and interviews, and links to linen archives, audio and transcripts. It includes units covering: How Linen Is Made | Uses of Linen | Linen Industry in Northern Ireland | Ethical Industry and Natural and Manmade Fabrics.
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Each year, the NI Science Festival offers a wide range of events focused on STEAM. Linked here is a 3 part short film series about linen in Northern Ireland.
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Scottish musician, Eddi Reader is as fascinated with the melodic rhythms of this century-old loom at the Irish Linen Museum in Lisburn as she is with the world and work of The Weaver Poets – Ulster’s linen workers - weavers by day who wrote poetry by night.
In this short film, she meets weaving expert, Alison from the Linen Museum. They discuss the rhythmic sounds of the loom that captivated and inspired The Weaver Poets in composing their meter and verse.
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Mallon Linen sells flax, flax fibre and artwork by Irish artists. The farm has reintroduced flax and is active in the contemporary linen world in Northern Ireland and is run by Helen and Charlie Mallon. Irish artist Charlie Mallon, a self taught metalworker, uses traditional methods to create the Mallon bronze sculptures.
Contact: helen@mallonireland.com
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Irish Farming Life showcases a collection of farming and rural history videos. Archive footage illustrates the farming years 1920's - 1960's, the growing of popular crops such as oats, barley, potatoes and flax. There are many historical films on the IFL channel
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British Pathé was at the forefront of cinematic journalism, pre-television. Over the course of a century, it documented everything from major armed conflicts, political crises to the lives of ordinary people. One of the largest newsreel archives in the world, British Pathé has over 85,000 films of historical and cultural significance. The online collection includes some films relating to linen production in the 1940’s.
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Drone Footage UK & Ireland captures aerial footage with drones. Locations include historic buildings, monuments, scenery and places of interest in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Included are aerial views of North Ireland’s linen mills.
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Belfast Telegraph article:
How new life is being spun into Northern Ireland's glorious linen industry
Feature by Una Brankin, Thu 23 Oct 2014 at 09:30
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Some great lesson plans for Key Stage 1 & 2
This World Around Us resource explores the linen industry from cottages to factories and finally to its demise in the twentieth century. Focusing on the role of the Ulster-Scots community in the production of linen, the resource is for Key Stage 2 teachers to use as a WAU topic over a school term. The resource also links to the Northern Ireland Curriculum and provides both a wide range of cross-curricular lessons and the resources required to teach each lesson.