FIBRE: NATURE-FRIENDLY FLAX FARMING
Inspired by Mallon Farm in Ireland // Photography by Yvette Monahan // Poetry by Abby Oliveira // Exhibited with Belfast Exposed in Ireland
Irish flax has been turned into linen for two thousand years, or so the peat bogs tell us. Brehon (early Irish) law obliged farmers to learn its cultivation, such was the importance of the trade that earned Belfast its nickname, Linenopolis.
Growing for a diversity of needs, from food to fibre, even protected flax producers from the devastation of the potato famine. But a 20th century tangle of changing circumstances, including two world wars, was the downfall of homegrown handkerchiefs.
On Mallon Farm in County Tyrone, Helen Keys and Charlie are reviving the tradition of growing flax for fibre, as part of a patchwork of potatoes, grass and oats. Their ‘wee blue blossom’ is chemical free, harvested by hand, retted in rainwater, scutched on a restored turbine, and threaded into local supply chains.
These efforts are not only rejuvenating soil, waterways and wildlife, but also regenerating a heritage that promises future resilience. Helen and Charlie are reweaving the fabric of Northern Irish farming.
“Farming is a way of life that many farmers didn’t choose; it is tied into our family, heritage, culture. I’d like people to feel reassured that individuals can make a real difference – farmers and consumers can both have a huge impact with the choices they make.” Helen Keys, Mallon Farm
