Irish Linen Centre & Lisburn Museum

County Antrim


The history of Lisburn's once prosperous linen industry is celebrated at this interesting museum, inside the 17th-century Market House. The 'Flax to Fabric' exhibition has plenty of audiovisual and hands-on exhibits, and outlines the history of the linen industry in the 18th and 19th centuries – on the eve of WWI, Ulster was the largest linen-producing region in the world, employing some 75,000 people. You can watch weavers working on Jacquard looms and try your hand at spinning flax.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby County Antrim attractions

1. Hilden Brewery

0.95 MILES

Ireland's oldest independent brewing company, dating from 1981, produces superior brews including caramel-malt Twisted Hop, Buck's Head double IPA, Barney…

2. Sir Thomas & Lady Dixon Park

3.12 MILES

Rolling meadows, woodland, riverside fields and formal gardens make up this beautiful park, along with a walled garden, a Japanese-style garden, a…

3. St Malachy's Parish Church

3.75 MILES

Overlooking Hillsborough village is St Malachy's, a splendid 18th-century church, with twin towers at the ends of the transepts and a tall spire at the…

4. Hillsborough Fort

3.85 MILES

Built as an artillery fort by Colonel Hill in 1650 (William of Orange stayed here on his way to the Boyne in 1690), Hillsborough Fort was remodelled as a…

5. Hillsborough Courthouse

3.85 MILES

Dating from 1765, this fine old Georgian market house was used as a courthouse from 1810 until 1986. It now contains a few displays describing the working…

6. Hillsborough Castle

3.86 MILES

The British monarch's official Northern Ireland residence is this rambling, late-Georgian mansion, which was built in 1797 for Wills Hill, the first…

7. Giant's Ring

4.23 MILES

This huge prehistoric earthwork, nearly 200m in diameter, is a circular neolithic ritual complex with a dolmen (known as the Druid's Altar) in the centre…

8. Malone House

4.49 MILES

A late-Georgian mansion on the grounds of former private estate Barnett Demesne, Malone House is now used mainly for weddings and conferences, with art…