Waterford

Ireland 2007--Waterford Crystal

Waterford was one of the last stops on the Irish trip on a Saturday. We didn't know if the cyrstal factory was open as some guidebooks and maps said no and others said yes. It turned out it was so we zipped in after the Lismore adventures and a short stop at Carrick on Suir to see the disappointing and locked (and fenced) supposed Castle Ormonde. Previous incarnations were probably a real castle but this was nothing more than a manor house. Booo!

So we made it to Waterford with enough time to browse the shops and go on the hour tour. I have a fair number of friends who are glass artists so it was quite amazing to see a glassblowing factory of this size. There were several buildings and although it was a Saturday there was at least one, or more people working in each section.

There was the special section for one of a kind molds, then the assembly line building for blowers blowing into molds. There was a large are with row on row of cutters and another smaller room for engravers. As well there was a quality inspection area. Every piece is inspected and must pass high standards. Every piece is hand blown or molded and hand cut or engraved. Then these pieces of crystal are put through a hydrochloric acid bath that takes off the sharp edges and white brushed look to the glass. I remember some older pieces of crystal goblets my mother had, having sharp edges. obviously the acid baths are of a new era.

I ran into a glass artist here in Vancouver who said they did an order for Waterford. Waterford Crystal's Q&A team came over and the studio only had a 50% acceptance rate, the controls were so stringent. It was quite amazing to watch the cutting and engraving and the sheer size of the factory. I was curious how they got the rounded edges on the cuts. Now I know but I still don't find crystal that appealing. Meh.

We drove on that evening to Kilkenny, home of the beer, of course. We almost lost our luck for B&Bs. We tried two pubs for asking and were told everything was full. It was always better to ask where there were older people serving as the younger ones weren't that friendly or helpful. We drove to three B&Bs that were all full and finally found a nice little house with a very friendly couple. Turns out Kilkenny is a college town where everyone comes on the weekend to party. And yes, it was the weekend.