Farming
One of the main crops that made the area rich was flax. Cows are now a common sight in the area, as are sheep. Corn was ground in Straid Corn Mill; this was built and operated by the Weir family, who were the village millers from the 17th century onwards. The mill is now at Cultra Heritage Museum. To the North of the village towards Carrickfergus, an important part of local heritage was recently destroyed with the demolition of the old flax mill to make way for new housing. This caused some controversy at the time. A famous local group that reflects the agricultural background of the area is "Straid young farmers" club.
Note: 'Straid Corn Mill' is actually from Straid, Ballymena and not as suggested here, from the village of Straid, Ballyclare.
Read more about this topic: Straid
Famous quotes containing the word farming:
“With the farming of a verse
Make a vineyard of the curse,”
—W.H. (Wystan Hugh)
“... farming conservatism, which consisted in holding that whatever is, is bad, and any change is likely to be worse.”
—George Eliot [Mary Ann (or Marian)
“The measure discriminates definitely against products which make up what has been universally considered a program of safe farming. The bill upholds as ideals of American farming the men who grow cotton, corn, rice, swine, tobacco, or wheat and nothing else. These are to be given special favors at the expense of the farmer who has toiled for years to build up a constructive farming enterprise to include a variety of crops and livestock.”
—Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)