'As Gay as Spring Flowers’: Colouring the Interwar Ulster Linen industry

The 20th century Irish linen industry was one of spectacular fluctuation, but in terminal decline. The industry faced persistent threats including, economic depressions, synthetic fibres, raw supply difficulties, foreign competition, and withal, a new political identity for Ulster. Furthermore, shrinking markets no longer placed the same value on ideologically driven concepts of quality and (Irish) provenance that were defining features of linen marketing prior to The Great War. However, there were pockets of resilience in the industry. The Old Bleach Linen Company exemplified this and is a case in point. In 1864, Charles J. Webb revived a dormant cotton mill, by the River Maine, Randalstown, County Antrim. From the outset, the company produced high quality well-designed linens, supported by royal patronage and global markets. By the Interwar period, the company had expanded considerably by innovating in a number of areas. Colour fast vat dyes for linen was one company development and is the focus of this article.