Monday, 22 September 2025
Flax in Northern Ireland: Reviving a Historic Crop to Support Soil, Sustainability, and Small Farms Once central to Northern Ireland’s linen industry, flax is experiencing a quiet resurgence, not just as a textile crop but as a potential solution for soil regeneration, decarbonisation, and farm diversification. With changing consumer habits leading to the decline of […]
Once central to Northern Ireland’s linen industry, flax is experiencing a quiet resurgence, not just as a textile crop but as a potential solution for soil regeneration, decarbonisation, and farm diversification.
With changing consumer habits leading to the decline of the traditional linen industry in the mid-20th century, flax cultivation nearly disappeared from the landscape. Today, a new generation of farmers, crafters, and environmental advocates is looking at flax in a new light.
While sustainability often focuses on doing less harm, regenerative agriculture aims to restore ecosystems and improve soil health. Flax aligns naturally with regenerative principles: it improves soil structure, supports biodiversity by needing no pesticides, and encourages low-input, rotational farming systems. These regenerative benefits are becoming increasingly relevant as the EU and UK push toward agricultural models that not only reduce emissions but actively sequester carbon and revive depleted landscapes.
One such advocate is Helen Keys, who, along with her husband, sculptor Charlie Mallon, began growing flax on the family farm in County Tyrone after struggling to source Irish linen bags for Charlie’s artwork. The experience sparked a deeper appreciation for the plant’s broader potential.
“There is a real resurgence and interest now in natural fibres,” said Helen. “We have to look at how we are going to replace things like carbon fibre, fibreglass, and natural fibres have a big role to play in decarbonising industry.”
Flax, like hemp, is a rotational crop that improves soil health with minimal fertiliser input. According to Professor Mark Emmerson from Queen’s University Belfast, integrating fibre crops like flax and vegetables could play a role in tackling regional environmental issues, such as the nutrient overload in Lough Neagh, which fuels harmful blue-green algae blooms.
“I would see flax production and veg production as part of a just transition that enables farmers to look at what they’re doing on the farm and where it’s appropriate – and only where it’s appropriate – to look at putting an acre or two, or a hectare or two, of land under flax or veg production,” said Prof. Emmerson. “I’m not sure this is a solution for the big dairy farm, But of the 26,000 farms in Northern Ireland, 78% of them are considered very small, which means that they have less than one person working the farm on any given week and those individuals are having to go off-farm to maintain a second job to maintain the farm.”
These smaller farms often operate with less than one full-time person per week and rely on off-farm jobs. Flax offers a low-input crop that could help them become more financially viable.
At a recent Flax Meitheal (a traditional Irish community gathering) near Cookstown, volunteers from around Ireland came together to help with the harvest. Among them was Kathy Kirwan, a “self-confessed flax nut” from County Cork, who is passionate about the crop’s circular economy potential.
“Nothing goes to waste, absolutely nothing. Like, 50% of the plant when you’re processing it comes out as shives (woody material) and that’s used for composite,” she said. “It just fits into the values of protecting the earth, protecting nature, and it needs no pesticides or herbicides.”
According to Malú Colorín of Fibreshed Ireland, part of a global movement for regenerative fashion, flax can be used for more than just high-quality linen.
“Linen is kind of like the cream of the crop of what you can do with flax, but then you can also create less fine fibres, such as rope as well,” she said.
Flax offers opportunities for localised supply chains that reduce the need for imported fibres, aligning with both environmental and cultural sustainability goals.
For Cathy Kane, who’s building a self-sustainable homestead in North Cork’s Sliabh Luachra, flax is the perfect addition to her crop rotation.
“Flax is part of my crop rotation in my sort of vegetable garden rotation that I’m kind of planning in my head,” she said.
Others, like Gawain Morrison, co-founder of Belfast climate initiative Brink!, see flax as a way to bring diverse communities together, from robotics engineers to farmers, in pursuit of climate solutions.
“When you see something like this, where you’re bringing together people who are robotics engineers, composites, farmers, all coming together under the same umbrella to make a difference, that’s when you know a tipping point’s coming.”
While flax is not a silver bullet, its revival in Northern Ireland demonstrates how traditional crops can meet modern needs, for decarbonisation, soil regeneration, and rural livelihoods.
This grassroots return to flax isn’t driven by big industry or policy mandates, but by farmers, crafters, scientists, and communities who see value in something that once defined their land and may again.
Flax is more than just a plant with a historical past, it’s becoming a symbol of sustainable innovation, local empowerment, and agricultural resilience in Northern Ireland. As interest grows in natural fibres and circular economies, flax is showing that sometimes, the future lies in reviving the wisdom of the past.
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