Midtown Makers Gift Shop - BLOG

During the 400 years that Ballymena began its growth from a simple ford to an industrial town, businesses and their craftspeople have come and gone. We have been looking at the forgotten crafts and trades that have disappeared because of time, change and industrialisation. So, as a last part of our Linen Trade pieces, we have researched the documents that are available and have not only discovered the jobs that are no longer used but that are also forgotten. While in the proc

Our August Craft Month Showcase of Traditional Crafts was a massive success thanks to all our members who took time out to demonstrate, chat and run taster sessions of their crafts. It was lovely to see the event so well attended and by so many different ages and backgrounds. One of the highlights of the evening was the jam and preserves tasting by one of our newest members 'A Wee Favour' - friends Dyvonne and Judith. They baked scones and handed out samples of their amazi

In the early 1700s, across the green fields of Ulster, the growing of flax was more than farming — it was a way of life. Long before factories filled the valleys with the sound of machinery, families planted, tended, and transformed this delicate, blue-flowered crop into one of Ireland’s most treasured materials: linen.