This part of Northern Ireland, with the Giants Causeway, is rich in minerals and in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries supported coal, iron ore and bauxite mining as well as quarrying for building materials. In the 1750s Hugh Boyd was shipping 8,000 tons of coal a year from his mines in Ballycastle. Iron ore production peaked in 1870 part being smelted locally and part shipped to England for smelting. As iron ore mining decreased, bauxite increased especially in the Second World War when aluminium was needed for aircraft production.
The main industry of Antrim was linen. Flax was widely grown and two initial processes took place close to where it was harvested; since only 10% of the flax plant ends up in linen, the remainder being waste. The first process is to soften the plant by wetting in small ponds. The plant begins to rot giving a foul smell. This process is called Retting. The retted flax is then taken to a water mill where it undergoes Scrutching essentially separating the usable flax from waste. This usable flax is then spun, woven and bleached, these processes taking place mainly in Belfast.
In the sixties, Antrim attracted British Enkalon to build a factory to produce nylon 6, which was a strong nylon thread for use in textiles. The promise of British Enkalon is said to have encouraged the designation as a new town. At its height the factory employed more than 3,000 and the towns population exceeded 20,000. Nylon for textiles was of its time and the factory closed in the mid seventies. The owners did not simply walk away but set up the Enkalon Foundation and business park which supports employment in the town.
Further reading:
Fred Hammond, Antrim Coast and Glens Industrial Heritage (HMSO, 1991)
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