Kinship of Difference :: Irish Linen Centre, Lisburn

The Lisburn Linen Museum will be the venue for Kinship of Difference, a special evening
celebrating the history and future relevance of the linen industry, produced by
ARTSAWONDER in association with THE RESURGAM TRUST and hosted by Tommy Sands.
This unique event, recorded for NTV’s Northern Visions, will bring together a gathering of
people from all aspects of linen-making—from flax pullers to weavers, artists to
academics—who will share conversations and songs about how this ancient industry has
shaped communities in the past and how it may still play a vital role in the future.
Attendees will learn why linen has been considered precious since biblical times and hear
how it has both set people apart and brought them together again. One special guest will
share the family’s extraordinary journey—expelled from France for being Protestant and
later from Dromore for being Roman Catholic—reflecting on where this history of faith,
work, and nostalgia has led them today.

The event will delve into the importance of linen in Ireland’s history, especially in Lisburn
and Ravensdale, as well as the present-day value of flax, known as ‘the blue gold’ in France.
Discussions will cover the engagement of different communities with the linen trade, the
realities of hard work and low pay, and how linen-related words have made their way into
our everyday language. The environmental relevance of linen in today’s world will also be
explored.

Among Tommy’s guests, associated with the Linen Making World will be:
Brona McVittie, (Harpist and composer)
Ciaran Mussen, (Mill heritage and singer)
Norma Coulter from Men’s and Hen’s Shed, (her family were all in the Mill, she was
encouraged not to work in it!!)
Norman Dalzell from HAG (Heritage Advisory Group) linked to Hilden Mill
Don Johnstone, (Linen Historian),
Staff Members from The Irish Linen Centre Lisburn Museum.