AN AUTHOR and campaigner against dereliction has said Clonakilty’s Old Linen Hall is an ideal place for a cultural centre dedicated to the history of the linen trade.

Rob Cross, who documents empty derelict buildings across Ireland on his website, made his case for the future of the building during an interview with The Southern Star.

The creator of the Colours of Ireland books said he watched a recent episode of RTÉ Nationwide featuring the town’s Flax Lín community and was saddened to see the landmark building still derelict. He warned that once Ireland’s architectural heritage was gone it would be lost forever.

‘When I saw it on TV the slates had been removed from the roof, probably for safety reasons. But when the slates are removed the water gets in and a building deteriorates,’ said Rob who was born in Limerick and has relatives in Castletownbere and Dursey Island.

He said the protected building had huge potential to be brought back to life and to shine a light on Clonakilty’s rich history.

Rob said the Old Linen Hall had only been added to Cork County Council’s Derelict Sites Register in mid-November 2024 with a market evaluation of €150,000, adding it was ‘a disappointingly late intervention for a building of this significance’.

The author and architectural designer pointed out that long-term vacancy and dereliction directly contribute to the housing shortage and homelessness.

‘The council have a duty to look after a protected building like the Old Linen Hall. It really should be restored and it would be great to have it as a cultural centre. I would like to see it used on a daily basis, as a place that gives a nod to Clonakilty’s linen industry,’ said Rob.

The two-storey former linen hall was built in 1817 by the Earl of Shannon and was the largest linen market in its day with up to 600 weavers offering their wares inside.

It was later used as a butter market, a weigh house, and in the 20th century as Sheehy’s and then Houlihan’s bakery. 

Flax expert and eco artist Kathy Kirwan, who was interviewed in the Nationwide episode, said the vision for the building included history, heritage and sustainability.

‘I’ve recently been in Belfast, in Lisburn, in Guilford and Hillsborough recently for our interactive flax project. They all have a centre or a memorial of some kind to celebrate the linen heritage in different ways. Lisburn’s Linen Hall has a fantastic heritage centre with weaving looms and artefacts, but there’s nothing like it in the Republic of Ireland.

‘A heritage centre could also focus on the lessons we can learn from the past in terms of sustainability. How can we use our heritage in Clonakilty and tell a story that can also inform our future clothing and environmental choices? The history of flax and linen in Clonakilty has influenced the richness and the vibrancy of the area.’

Minister Christopher O’Sullivan has said he would fully support a linen heritage centre at the Old Linen Hall.

‘It’s an iconic building in the centre of Clonakilty and it means so much to the history of the town. If my department could help out we would, but I’m also respecting the fact that the building is privately owned at the moment.’

Cork County Council was contacted for comment.