Irish Linen Centre & Lisburn Museum

A fantastic little museum in the heart of Lisburn that provides a history of the city and linen production. There are live demonstrations of the yarn being wound around a spinning wheel and onto a noddy and then actually using the spun flax on a Huguenot loom, using a design card, to create designs in tea towels and handkerchiefs. The design cards used a binary method akin to the first computers. The ladies presenting had a wealth of knowledge and skill and we're fascinating to talk to and watch them ply their trade. They are desperate to keep the skills passed down to younger generations so if you fancy learning these arts then they would love to meet and hear from you.

We spent a couple hours here and loved it. The exhibits do a great job explaining the history and craftsmanship behind linen-making — detailed, engaging, and easy to follow. The demonstrations and artifacts really brought the process to life. As a bonus, the quaint town and little shops around the museum made the visit even more enjoyable.

Brought my almost 80 year old mother today to see the Looms. She had an amazing experience chatting with Donna who was working a Loom. Great banter was had about my mother’s experiences as a Tweed Weaver using an Industrial Loom! Many thanks to Donna & the lovely girls on reception. A lovely cherished experience & highly recommended!

Fabulous interactive history of Irish Linen! I loved being told and shown by the lovely friendly staff about the exhibits.

A nice museum with exhibitions showing the history of Lisburn and also everything related to linen manufacturing starting from the flax plant and ending with the finished products, with live demonstrations by knowledgeable and friendly staff. Free admissions and well worth a visit with your family.

Much more going on in this museum than I imagined. Up close and personal with the looms was a great experience.

Visited the museum last week and found an Egyptian Exhibition was on ,very interesting and well laid out . The Linen displays were well laid out with a full documented history of mills in the area. There was working looms and card cutting which the young lady described and gave us a demonstration of how they worked

Have visited the museum on numerous occasions for family events. Staff have always been excellent Definitely worth signing up to their mailing list as they regularly host events for kids.

Lovely museum which gives a great, in-depth history of the linen industry in Ireland. You only need about 90 minutes to spend here, but you will gain a great understanding of the linen industry and trade. And you will see beautiful samples of the many different types of linens. The woman giving the demonstrations was extremely knowledgeable and a delight to speak with.

Exhibitions mounted regularly. Useful for visitors to N. Ireland. Central but one needs to use local car parks. Shop for tourists and a delightful cafe with an outlook to the town centre. Public Toilets available. Friendly Information Desk. Museum has many interesting photos and exhibits.

Took my daughters here earlier and it was their first time and my second time. Still amazed at our rich heritage and the skill of the early Ulster folk. Loved the exhibits and the way the story of linen was told.

The Irish Linen Centre has an excellent exhibition that includes a reconstruction of a linen weavers cottage and a nice costume display of old fashioned linen dresses. When I visited there was also a fascinating demonstration of spinning and weaving using the original equipment by staff who were clearly most enthusiastic about the subject. There's also a good explanation of the development of the history of Lisburn - you can pick up a lot of interesting information if you like this sort of thing as I do. Downstairs the museum shop has some high quality goods such as linen damask and some other nice textile items - tea towels, oven gloves among other gifts. The teashop is good value and altogether the museum makes a great focal point to the centre of Lisburn.

Id taken an interest in textiles since uni days in the art school. After visiting the Linen centre I realised just how important linen production was to The Irish economy. It is a beautiful Museum located in a recently renovated building and is the centre piece in the market square. The staff in the loom room are experts in the history and manufacture of linen. they explained and demonstrated the process in great detail. The rest of the museum has changing exhibitions and lots of interesting and somewhat creepy portraits throughout. There are lifts and helpful staff at most corners with a reception desk and shop. Well worth a visit.

The Irish Linen Centre and Museum in Lisburn is a really nice piece of Irish history and worth a visit for any tourists! The building is impressive and very modern and contemporary while still holding its historic charm. Its free to visit so good news for those on a budget! They collect and safeguard artifacts and information relating to the Irish linen industry and the history of Lisburn and the Lagan Valley so that it's there for generations to come to view and learn about their culture. The little shop in here is pretty cool and the cafe serves some really nice food which isn't extortionately prices as you would imagine with these places. They open from 9am until 5pm all year round which is really handy too.

If you find the history of linen interesting, this is your place. I don't, so it wasn't thrilling. The coffee shop is nice, if a little overpriced.

Great place to check out, especially if your are planning to get some goodies to bring back. Obviously Irish Linen is the number 1 choice, but they have lots of knick nacks and even my favourite Yankee candles. They also have a coffee shop which make the nicest Banoffee Pies! Yummy! Prices are reasonable for a tourist shop. But look out for offers as they can be up to 50% reduced. Staff is friendly and helpful.