The Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum is located in Market Square at the heart of Lisburn’s old town centre. The Museum has a permanent exhibition ‘Flax to Fabric, the story of linen’ in the Irish Linen Centre and mounts a programme of temporary exhibitions relating to its textile, social history and art collections.
The collections encompass all aspects of the history of the Irish linen industry and the history and cultural heritage of the Lisburn and Lagan Valley region. Special textile collections include Irish damask table linen, working linen damask hand-looms, linen costume and needle-worked cloths and artefacts relating to the linen thread making. The Lisburn and Lagan Valley collections largely date from the 17th century and relate to the foundation of the Conway estate, the Huguenot settlement in Lisburn, 18th and 19th century people and politics, transport, militaria, artefacts relating to the two World Wars and 20th century social history. There is a small fine art collection of local topographical views general works by Irish artists and sculptures portraits and prints relating to local interest. There are also large photographic collections relating to linen and local history
Visitors by arrangement can also access two library collections – the Museum’s local history collection and the library of the former Linen Industry Research Association. An education programme managed by an Education Officer offers guided tours and workshops. The LIRA library will be closed until early 2014.