14/10/2026
Today Siúlóid@CCRC took to one of our favourite places, Bennett’s Field, for another beautiful morning of walking, chatting and exploring nature 🌿
We enjoyed a lovely stroll around the park, taking in the wonderful growth, discovering more about the plants there and revisiting the Flax Lín bed ahead of our special guest’s visit to the centre today.
After our walk, it was back to the Centre for the now-obligatory cup of tea and a truly special engagement with Kathy Kirwan of the Flax Lín Project.
Kathy spoke to us in depth about the project, and also about Mallon to Mizen Flax 405, and what followed was a wonderful sharing of stories, memories and experiences about the history of flax in Clonakilty and throughout West Cork. Participants reminisced about their relatives, the roles they played many years ago and how flax was woven into the lives of families and communities across generations.
It was incredible to see how a heritage project can bring people of all ages together, sparking memories, encouraging conversation and creating meaningful connections within our community. There were plenty of laughs, a few tears - happy ones - and lots of wonderful chatter and reminiscing 🌱
The objective of Mallon to Mizen Flax 405 is to create 405 equivalent pieces of flax rope, thread and linen that symbolically weave together our shared past, present and future. Many Siúlóid participants contributed to this today, making cordage after a demonstration by Kathy and placing their names in the records.
We were really delighted to congratulate Kathy on her Heritage At Risk Award nomination, alongside Clonakilty Tidy Towns and Wombat Media and, on behalf of everyone at Siúlóid@CCRC and Clonakilty Community Resource Centre, we were pleased to present Kathy with a little gift to mark this special occasion.
Today was a truly informative, engaging and memorable morning, celebrating our local heritage, community connections and the importance of keeping our stories alive 💚🌿🌱
Cork Mental Health Foundation & Housing Association Cork Sports Partnership Clonakilty Notice Board Get Ireland Walking The Heritage Council