From flax to fabric, the story of linen is deeply connected to Inis Meáin. One of the oldest textile fabrics in the world, flax was used in textiles in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) as far back as the Neolithic period. Its species name Linum utisatissimum—meaning ‘most useful’—is particularly apt, as flax has been grown in Ireland since the Bronze Age and been cultivated for use for clothing for a thousand years. read more