Flax 405: From Mallon to Mizen is a community engagement project led by our member Kathy Kirwan. The objective is to create 405 equivalent pieces of flax rope, thread and linen that symbolically weave together our shared past, present, and future.

Why 405? Because 405km is the winding distance between Mallon Linen in Co. Tyrone and Mizen Head in Co. Cork. 

With this project, we aim to inspire community collaborations in creating an artefact and narrative that embodies shared resilience, cooperation, and craic!

How to participate?

1. Get your flax

You’ll need some scutched flax fibre: you can grow and process your own, if you want! Or you can buy scutched flax from our member, Mallon Linen. They have also put together a handy Flax 405 cordage kit to make it easy for you! The kit includes instructions, scutched flax fibre, and a card to wind your cordage on.

2. Make cordage

Making cordage is one of the simplest ways that we can use flax. It takes just a little mastering but quickly becomes muscle memory, meditative. It’s also great craic to do it in a group while chatting or singing! We have created a visual guide for you to learn how to make cordage, you can download it here.

3. Decide

Once you’re done making cordage, you can decide whether you want to:
👉 keep it
👉 post it back to Kathy to be included in our big spool of community-spun linen cord
👉 keep some and post some!

Project partners:

This project has been supported by the Shared Island Civic Society Fund, managed by the Government of Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Hand-drawn graphics by Hazel Hurley