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The Glories of Irish Linen
What is the backstory of this revered fabric?
Sometimes the initial effort is the best. Linen, for instance, is thought to be the first textile people created. Bits of spun, dyed, and knotted wild flax fiber were found in a cave in the Republic of Georgia which dates back 30,000 years. Once domesticated, the three-foot tall herbaceous plant spread to Europe, Egypt, and on to Ireland.
Even today, the textile’s strength, durability, absorbency, and ability to dry quickly are hard to beat. These qualities combine to make linen particularly comfortable in hot weather. Translucent and smooth, the fabric has wrapped Egyptian mummies, bound soldier’s wounds, draped church altars, clothed brides, and covered dinner tables. By law, U.S. currency is one-quarter linen and three-quarters cotton.
My father experienced linen’s versatility first-hand during the Depression. Dad was a rascal with an equally scampish buddy Ken Hardin. Nicknamed “Bones” for his cadaverous appearance, Ken loved the theater. He would go on to star as the bowler hatted, goofy Ferdy Fussbudget on the local kiddy TV show. He also acted and directed in local theater, before moving to California in hopes of making the big…
