Whether used in tapestries or clothes, linen and lace have had a long history and both reflected and been impacted by major events in history.
Linen, Lace & Lavender is the title of a public talk, part of the Oranmore Heritage Winter Lecture Series 2011-2012, which takes place next Wednesday at 7.30pm in Oranmore Library.
The speaker will be Clare Griffin. Her talk will begin with the Bayeux Tapestry of 1070 and move on to early ecclesiastical lace, the influence of the mediaeval church on popular fashion, the laws governing its wearing, and taxes imposed on imported lace, and its subsequent smuggling.
The lecture will also deal with the re-emergence of Irish lace in the 19th century, the main centres of Irish lace making, and their contribution to the economy. The invention of cheap machine lace and chemical lace in the 1880s and the impact of World War I on traditional lace making will also be looked at.
Admission is free and all are welcome. For more information see www. oranmoreheritage.org
