I know I've took us on a journey from different time periods but gonna go back to the early years to talk about one crucial point that had an impact on the growth of Lurgan; the rise of the linen industry
Arthur Brownlow was in fact largely responsible for the early development of linen manufacture in the area, introducing weaving to his tenants and buying their produce. The main linen companies at the time were Bairds, McCaw and Allan, Johnston Allan, Ulster weaving and The Limited. Kieran Clendinning further writes that the modern history of linen thread in Ireland began with the migration of John Barbour from Paisley to County Down in 1794. It was not, however, until the middle of the second decade of the 19th century that a great transformation in flax spinning took place. Prior to that time linen yarn had been spun only by hand on the old-fashioned spinning wheel. Overall it is clear that linen manufacturing played a crucial role in the development of Lurgan, mainly due to the skills of its craftsmanship, the enterprise of its bleachers and linen-drapers, the most prominent of whom were the Quakers.
Linen Industry:Winding yarn, York street factory. 17/2/1939
Useful weblink explaining more detail: http://www.craigavonhistoricalsociety.org.uk/rev/clendinninglinenind.html
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