Designers get back to beetling with a little help from Ireland’s oldest linen mill
The thunderous sound of machinery like the pounding of hundreds of Lambeg drums hits you before you even enter the world’s only beetling mill. Situated in the historic village of Upperlands in Co Derry, about an hour’s drive from Belfast, the area was once home to more than 600 people who worked in William Clark & Son, Ireland’s oldest linen mill, established on the river Clady in 1736. There is a wonderful photograph on display in the adjacent Flax Café Visitor Centre taken in the early 1920s of the staff all dressed up for their annual outing to Portrush. We are here with fashion designer Amy Anderson and her husband Joel of Kindred of Ireland, who are now among the most enthusiastic supporters and users of beetled linen, having rediscovered its shimmering qualities and craftsmanship. Amy’s grandmother Winnie had worked in Moygashel Linen Mills with Paul Costelloe, and it was…