Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• Return to N-13 and head to and through Letterkenny, continuing out the other (west)
end of town on R-250. Eight kilometers (5 miles) west of Letterkenny on this road, you'll
reach the...
Newmills Corn and Flax Mills
Come here for a glimpse of the 175-year-old Industrial Revolution, shown high-tech Ul-
ster style. Linen, which comes from flax, was king in this region. The 15-minute film does
aniftyjobofexplainingtheprocess,showinghowthecommonflaxplantendsupascloth.
Working in a mill sounds like a mellow job, but conditions were noisy, unhealthy, and ex-
hausting. Veteran mill workers often braved respiratory disease, deafness, lost fingers, and
extreme fire danger. For their trouble, they usually got to keep about 10 percent of what
they milled.
The corn mill is still in working condition but requires a skilled miller to operate it.
This mill ground oats—“corn” means oats in Ireland. (What we call corn, they call maize.)
The huge waterwheel, powered by the River Swilly, made five revolutions per minute and
generated eight horsepower.
The entire operation could be handled by one miller, who knew every cog, lever, and
flume in the joint. Call ahead to see when working mill demonstrations are scheduled; oth-
erwise, tours last 20 minutes and are available on request.
