Y.M.C.A. 559
This was in the Y.M.C.A. camp in 1944.
The four American soldiers sadly are unknown, the first girl on the left is Minnie Baird..Next to her is Elizabeth Stewart, then Lily Baird and finally .....May Stewart.
May wanted me to know that the girls were all unmarried at the time and nothing improper was going on.

Y.M.C.A. 602
It is 1944 and in this group photograph we have the Royal Air Force, the Army and an American soldier.
Kneeling down with the dog who is unknown and so is the Girl. Behind her is May Stewart and Lily Baird.The other ladies are unknown.

JOE YOUNG 2196
This is our Joe Young looking apprehensive while getting his photograph taken.

YOUNG CHILDREN 1818
Having their school photograph taken in 1973 are Anna and John Young.

YORK STREET FLAX AND SPINNING CO LTD 1737
It's the 2nd June 1953 and we are inside York Street Flax Spinning Co.Ltd mill at Muckamore. In the foreground of the photograph is James Fleming Senior, the girl with her arm linked to George Walker is his daughter Ena Fleming. A McAteer and a Law are two of the names amongst the rest of the men, where they are in the photo and the rest of the men are unknown. The bunting is there to celebrate the forthcoming coronation of Queen Elizabeth.
What this department did is unknown but could they have been rinsing the roll of linen through the tanks being them. If you look closely beside the feet of the third man on the right you will see liquid pouring out of a tap.

YORK STREET FLAX AND SPINNING CO LTD 1706
Enjoying the sunshine during their 1hr lunch break and wishing it was longer at York Street Flax and Spinning mill out at Muckamore we have from the left May McQuillen, Doris McQuillen, Ann McQuillen and Lily Kane.

YMCA CAMP 545
This is the YMCA Camp stationed in the Castle Showgrounds during the First World War.
The year was 1914.

YOUNG WEDDING 1270
This lovely Wedding photograph taken back in 1932 is of the Groom James Barnett Young and his beautiful Bride Mary Agnes Young nee Anderson. James here is 30 and Mary 29.

YORK STREET FLAX AND SPINNING CO LTD 1277
Although slightly out of focus these girls who worked at York Street Flax and Spinning Co Ltd at Muckamore still had a smile for the camera. Taken at the mill in 1951 at the back are Maud Wallace, Sadie McCaig, Susan Shannon and in front Margaret Young and Mable McKee.

YORK FLAX SPINNING Co.Ltd. 738
These are the workers of the 'Drying and Bundling' department of York Street Flax Spinning Company out at Muckamore, Antrim in November 1936.
Judging by the style of the ladies dresses it wasn't dirty work. Well up in the back row (from left) are E.Holmes, M.Hogg, M.Doole, T.McKelvey, J.White, M.Logan, L.Judge, J.Morrow, Evelyn Doole and E.Beresford. Moving forward to the next row we have J.McKee, A.Flecher, ?.Beresford,? Boyd, S.McBurney, A.McKelvey, L.McIlroy, L.Mulholland, M.Smith, I.King and J.McGrath. Standing on the ground are P.McCormick, R.McKelvey,Jean Judge, M.Craig, A.McIlroy, M.Thursby, Kathleen Logan, H.Beresford, E.Preston, A.McCormick, R.McKelvey and D.Stirling. Sitting in the front we have J.Hamill, P.Gregg, ?.Hogg, K.Adams, M.White, T.Coulter, C.Ashe, E.Gillespie, E.Gregg, Ruby McVeigh and J.Mulholland.
In 1943 Jean Judge, Kathleen Logan and Evelyn Doole moved to England on contract for two years, to work at Accles & Pollock, Broadwell Road, Oldbury, West Midlands on war production work making parts for Spitfires and bombers. Their passage by boat cost 5 shillings paid for by the company. They had to find and pay for their own lodgings but Jean Judge was lucky for the minister at Muckamore Church wrote to the vicar at St.Paul's church in Smethwick who arranged lodgings for Jean with one of the managers of Accles & Pollock. Later on Evelyn emigrated to Canada, Kathleen married and moved away while Jean married and remained in Oldbury. Also we have Ruby McVeigh of Pogues Entry who moved to Florida.

YORK FLAX SPINNING Co.Ltd. 1079
This Archie McQuilken and Ernest Campbell at work down at the Green Muckamore for York Street Flax Spinning Co. The year was 1945.

YMCA CAMP 544
The YMCA camp at the Antrim showgrounds was also used by the troops during the Great War of 1914-18. It is pictured here in 1914,
and this picture clearly shows that it offered temporary accommodation for scores of troops. At various times the army, the Royal Navy and the American forces stopped off at the camp en route to France.

YORK STREET FLAX SPINNING Co.Ltd. 611
Taking advantage of the sunshine during their lunch break in 1935 are Madge Mailey, Rennie McIlwaine and May Stewart.

YORK STREET FLAX SPINNING Co.Ltd. 819
Taking a break from work outsite the Dye department in 1953 we have Charlie Clarke and Bob Fletcher, in front is Nancy Finlay and Leslie Bones. Charlie remembers Sammy O'Neill who also worked there was always up to something when one day they saw Sammy walking along in the mill with a piece of string in his hand leading down to the ground and it was moving! When he got up to them they could see a mouse running along with the string around its body. They looked at Sammy who said " It's me pet and I'm taking it for a walk". The mouse of course came to no harm and Sammy let it go.

NORMAN YOUNG 1464
This is Norman Young from Antrim having his photograph taken up at Portrush in 1960.
Now Norman is either going to or has been at a wedding going by the flower in his lapel, who's we don't know.

YOU ARE HERE 830
This milestone was photographed in 1953 in Castle Street which is gone and so is the milestone.
There used to be one also in Fountain Street which has also disapeared to make way for a passage way.

YORK STREET FLAX SPINNING Co.Ltd. 607
Working away in the office in 1942 we have on the phone May Stewart and typing away is Patsy Lavery.
Pasty used to work in the Lapping room in the mill but she went to night classes at the Tec and got the job in the office.

YORK STREET FLAX SPINNING Co.Ltd. 527
This is some of the men that worked in York Street Flax Spinning Co. Ltd. at the Green Yard in Muckamore.
They are from the back row: Matt Quigley, Silvey Mateland, Jimmy Johnston, Tommy Millar, David Steel, Erskine Campbell, Johnny Hanna, Bob Shaw, Willy Allen, Harry Allen (Painter), Jamie Elder (Painter), Johnny Kilpatrick, John King, Jimmy Gaston, Tommy Hearkness, Willy Mayers, Bobby Reilly, Victor Hamill, Tommy Williamson, Tom Baxter, Willie King, Archie McQuilken and Archie Forest.
The year is unknown.

YOUNG LOVE 2539
Out along the coast on a summers day back in 1954 we have this couple who are still in love today as they where then.
It's Hugh Dunn with Madeline Mitchell who I see is wearing a watch. Now if Hugh bought Madeline the watch, back then that was the first stage to getting engaged, which of course we know they did.

YORK STREET FLAX SPINNING Co.Ltd. 612
This photograph of the swans with their cygnets swimming in one of the dams was taken in 1938.

YORK STREET FLAX SPINNING Co.Ltd. 525
This is the Dye Beetling Dept on the 17 - 11- 36 at Muckamore.
B.Row: Willie Craig, Robert Higgins, Carl Preston, Tommy Huston and the young lad Forsythe.
M.Row: Sam McQuillan, Charlie Witherspoon, Unknown, Billy McGrath, James McNeill and Alec Wright.
F.Row: James Higgins, Matt Tarter, Crow, Dean (Manager), John McGuillan and William McQuillan.
Footnote: Willie Craig in the back row is nickname was " Oul Queen " for every now and then he would say " I'll go and get the Oul Queen out" and apparently it was a drum ! "

YORK STREET FLAX SPINNING Co.Ltd. 429
This photograph was taken at the Muckamore branch but the department in unknown as well as the date.
From the left we have, McCourtney, McQuillen, Hannan, Harold Anderson and William McVeigh.

YORK STREET FLAX SPINNING Co.Ltd. 575
This is the ' Finishing Room ' in 1910 were the cloth was put through mangles in which tons of pressure was applied to further enhance the cloth.
They then went to the Calender machines which had up to eight rollers called ' bowls ' this further enhanced the appearance of the linen.
Then the lined was ' lapped ' (folded) with the stamp of the merchant added, then the cloth would be wrapped in brown paper and sent to a ' white linen ' market or sold on to other mills which would turn it into the famous ' Irish Linen ' goods or cloths.

YORK STREET FLAX SPINNING Co.Ltd 572
This is the wet Spinning room.
The flax was 'wet spun' the flax went through a trough of hot water
which softened the flax so that the fibres could be pulled out to the required fineness.
The people worked a 12 hour shift starting at 6am with one half hour break and they must stand all day watching the machines.
Note the women are in their bare feet but the man isn't.
The year is 1908.

YORK STREET FLAX SPINNING Co.Ltd. 559
This is where they did the Starching and Blueing was done to give added whiteness to the cloth. The operation was done in what was called a three bowl mangle with a starch trough, which you can see being done in the left of the picture. The girl in the centre of the picture helping the man with the linen seems to wearing a mask over her nose and mouth, I wonder what that was for? The year is unknown.

YORK STREET FLAX SPINNING Co.Ltd. 584
The men working in this photograph are in the ' Wet Room '.
This all the information I have at the moment, the year is unknown.

YORK STREET FLAX SPINNING Co.Ltd. 574
In this department the cloth is stretched because during the bleaching process a cretain amount of shrinking takes place.
This machine called a ' belt stretcher or a ' cold stentering frame' to compensate for this the cloth is stretched or breadthed.
A certain amount of moisture has to be left in the cloth to aid in the next process known as ' Beetling '. The year is 1910.

YORK STREET FLAX SPINNING Co.Ltd. 338
Here the wet cloth being loaded unto specially designed cart which could hold the long webs of cloth. This was after the cloth had been put into boiling pots which could hold 3,600 lbs of cloth each. The pots contained a mixture of soda ash, lime and water, then boiled for 6 to 8 hours to remove the wax and fat.
Now it is being carted off to be 'Grassed' this is were the cloth is laid out in long strips in fields to let the sun bleach them. The year is around 1905.

YORK STREET FLAX SPINNING Co.Ltd. 339
This is the ' Wash Room' and after each process in the making of the linen the cloth would come here to be given a through washing.
This consisted of the cloth being put into these machines called ' Ceeves' or ' Tames'. The cloth was then squirted with jets of water while heavy wooden rams fell against it squeezing out unwanted imputities. Workers in the bleach mills often wore wooden clogs to keep their feet dry. The year is 1905.

YORK STREET FLAX SPINNING Co.Ltd. 573
This department was called the ' Rub Boards ' here these boards removed any carbon and oil which might have contaiminated the cloth during any of the other processes.
The cloth was pulled through the ' eyes ' in the boards, then two plates moved to grasp the cloth between their narrow parallel grooves. The boards inner surfaces were lined with Lignum Vitae, a hardwood from South America.
The year is unknown.

YORK STREET FLAX SPINNING Co.Ltd. 577
This is another section of the Bleaching Mill at Muckamore. The photograph was taken in 1985.

YORK STREET FLAX SPINNING Co.Ltd. 578
This section of the mill shows you the dam of water from the Sixmilewater river. It meant that they always had a plentiful amount
of water ready to use in the bleaching process. To the left of the picture you can see a mesh guard in the dam, this was to filter out any rubbish that might be in the water. Just above the mesh guard to your right you can see a large wheel, this operated the sluice gate to allow more water into the mill. On the roof there is some lettering can anyone tell me what it said. The year was 1945.

YORK STREET FLAX SPINNING Co.Ltd. 576
The building to your left was the original mill and the brick section wass added in 1949.
This is only as it stretched further along.
This section of the mill did all the bleaching of the cloth at Muckamore and the area was known as ' The Green '.
When they stopped production Thorer's U.K. Ltd took over and used it for Fur Curing.
The photograph was taken in 1985.