Flax was initially grown
in Ireland but as popularity grew, so
demand outstripped the ability to supply
enough home grown raw material and vast
quantities of flax were imported.
Two ladies in the life of
artist Eamon O’Doherty inspired a
sculpture which stands in a quiet open
space within the Sion Mills complex.
His mother had been a Herdmans Mill
worker and a girl friend had worked in
Sion Mills. This beautiful sculpture,
titled The Flax Spinner and donated to
Sion Mills by HEART, a cross-border
project covering Heritage Environment
Arts & Rural Tourism, and depicts a
young woman elegantly posed with her
hands reaching out to the threads, one
bare foot on the floor whilst the other
is poised on the brake.
The websites covering the
Herdman family, the history of the
mills, detailing the machinery and the
buildings of Sion Mills make fascinating
reading – just search using the names –
and describes a must-be-visited museum
mill site when in Northern Ireland.
