Dunbrody, Waterford Crystal, Kilkenny City

All photos click to enlarge

Our last full day trip before we departed from Ireland was by Railtours to the cities of New Ross, County Wexford, Waterford, County Waterford, and Kilkenny City in Kilkenny County.

New Ross is home to the Dunbrody, a replica of a "famine ship" which is moored on the Quay, and allows visitors to experience the sights and smells of life aboard an emigrant ship of the style that transported many of the Irish diasporas to other lands.

The ship was built by a grant from the John F. Kennedy Trust to describe to visitors about the reason why so many people were forced to emigrate on sailing ships like Dunbrody to America and Canada in the mid 19th century. Near New Ross is the ancestral home of President John F. Kennedy in Dunganstown, County Wexford, and his great-grandfather came to America on the original Dunbrody.

Before boarding a ticket was issued as if it were 1849, and this ticket allocates our space and food rations for the voyage ahead.

Onboard actors, playing the role of emigrants, showed their cramped quarters in steerage, and their meager possessions, describing why they were being forced to emigrate. A member of the crew told us the story of other voyages and all about life on board a sailing ship. Whole families were forced to sleep in one wooden berth, with little more than a few pieces of bread and grain for a week. The ship usually carried 176 people, but on one crossing, at the height of the Famine in 1847, she carried 313. Many did not survive the many month-long voyages on other ships but the Dunbrody had a good record due to her good and humane Captain Baldwin.

From the Dunbrody web site:

"Today 40 million people in the US alone proudly acknowledge their Irish heritage.
Now you have the opportunity to access a huge database of emigrants who sailed from Ireland in the nineteenth century. This database has complied in collaboration with the Balch Institute Philadelphia, and the Ellis Island Restoration Commission, and the Battery Conservancy, New York from the original passenger lists of ships, which sailed from Ireland and the UK."

The link to check the database.

Next stop on the bus was the city of Waterford. Waterford was founded in 843 by the Vikings and later extended by the Anglo-Normans.

As we entered the city we passed Reginald's Tower, built by the Normans. Its walls are 10 feet thick, and now contains Waterford's Civic Museum.

Waterford is famous for its glassworks, and The Waterford Crystal Factory. The Waterford Crystal story first begins in 1783 when George and William Penrose founded their crystal manufacturing business in the busy port of Waterford. They seized on the opportunity to produce “plain and cut flint glass, useful and ornamental” in their factory, which was situated in the heart of Waterford city

I took the photo of the factory, below, from the bus window so you can see how excited I was to be able to visit this attraction!

I don't personally own a lot of Waterford crystal, but the few pieces I did own were treasures to me and I don't think any other cut crystal can compare to the weight and beauty and craftsmanship of Waterford's.

We entered the visitors center and browsed at the many beautiful pieces on display while we waited for our factory tour to begin. The photo below was taken by another visitor and is a little blurry, but I was so fascinated by this crystal grandfather clock, and it is one of the few photos of my both my husband and myself together, that I had to include it here.

The young lady who escorted the factory tour described all the sports trophies that Waterford crystal is known for. Do you recognize any in the display cases?

The one below has the US Presidential seal on it and is magnificent in its size and detail.

The guide told us that replicas of each award and special edition gift are made in case the original is unfortunately broken by accident.

We visited on a Saturday so a skeleton crew was in the factory working for the benefit of the tourists coming to view the process.

The photos below show some of the processes of glassblowing.

In order to maintain the impeccable standards built up over two centuries, there are quality control checks throughout the manufacturing process. While on the tour you will see that if at any stage, a flaw is detected or an inaccurate cut is found, the piece is destroyed

Teams of cutters work on each piece, the largest of which will be several days going through the cutting process. The cutters apprentice for this job for many years and are paid by the piece.

The deep, intricate wedge patterns, which appear on pieces such as Lismore stemware, are cut against diamond-tipped wheels following a geometric guide marked onto the crystal.

After being cut the crystal is placed in an acid bath which then gives it it's wonderful crystal shine!

The photo below is of freshly cut crystal waiting for its bath.

There are 200 different stemware patterns, and Lismore is one of the most popular worldwide.

We were not allowed to take photos in the engraving department due to the fine concentration needed to do the work.

"Intaglio" is the name given to the type of engraving they use. It gives the engraving a three-dimensional look and feel. To become a Master Engraver it takes 10 years of study, and the people in Waterford continue to attend classes in art school to refresh and renew their concepts. Engravers are paid by salary due to the intense amount of work they must do for each piece.

Below is an engraved piece on the tour that touched my heart. It was made to commemorate the brave rescue workers in the World Trade Center tragedy in New York City on September 11, 2001.

We learned a lot on the factory tour and I highly recommend it! Unfortunately we also learned from our bus tour guide that Waterford Crystal, in general, has had slow sales in recent years and the company is in financial trouble and that their biggest customer, Americans, have not been buying it as much as usual, probably due to the fact our dollar has been weak and the cost for a piece is so expensive. After seeing the tour and the amount of work that goes into each an every authentic Waterford piece by skilled craftsmen, I can say it is well worth every cent!

We finished the tour by entering the retail gallery, which hosts the largest collection of Waterford Crystal in the world. In addition, it had Wedgwood Ceramics, Rosenthal ceramics, Waterford Writing Instruments, Seahorse Clothing and an extensive Craft and Jewellery collection.

Needless to say, I didn't stop to take photos as I wanted to shop! I did purchase a few pieces, which my sweet husband bought for me as upcoming birthday presents, which we had shipped home, and when I receive them I'll display them here ...... I can't wait!

* Edited on 1-27/10 to add:

"The world-famous visitors’ center of Waterford Crystal shut down today, as 15 remaining workers lost their jobs.

Crowds of people came to bid goodbye to the center, which had hosted 330,000 visitors annually for 25 years. Waterford Crystal once employed almost 3,000 people in factories at Kilbarry and Dungarvan, according to the Irish Times.


The firm had enjoyed success in the 1980s and 1990s. Americans accounted for more than half of its sales, and this market has been diminishing since 2002 when the US dollar’s value dropped chronically compared with the euro. The firm has struggled with crippling debt and went into bankruptcy last year.


The center was for decades one of Ireland’s top tourist attractions, as visitors took tours of the factory and purchased the hand-made cut glass items, which the firm had produced since 1948. The mayor of Waterford, John Halligan, said its closure marked “a sad day for Waterford,” the Times reported."
source

The next and last stop on our Southeast Ireland tour was the charming inland city of Kilkenny.

It is located on the Nore River, and most of the buildings are made of black limestone so it is also known as the Marble City.

Kilkenny is dominated by its castle - one of the most famous of Ireland. Built in the year 1190 it was occupied by the Butler family for over 500 hundred years up until 1935, but because of the exorbitant upkeep, the family descendants donated it to the nation in 1967.

Part of the National Art Gallery is on display in the castle. There are ornamental gardens on the city side of the castle, and extensive land and gardens to the front. It has become one of the most visited tourist sites in Ireland.

It is really hard to describe how enormous this castle was and photos don't even begin to show
how beautiful it was!

Below is a view of the castle from the River Nore.

This medieval city is characterized by many beautifully restored buildings and winding slipways

Below is "Butter Slip" so named for the butter stalls that once lined this small alley.

A view looking down John Street Lower in Kilkenny. Many interesting shops, restaurants, and pubs along the way.

A view, below, through a slip at St. Canice's Cathedral. The ancient city of Kilkenny was named after a 6th-century monk St Canice.

The next day we flew back to Kennedy Airport New York -- home sweet home! Here is a view of Long Island from my window seat. That long thin strip of land is part of Fire Island off the south coast of Long Island. We'll be landing soon!

I was sad to leave Ireland but happy to have had another chance to visit the land of my paternal ancestors. I brought back some wonderful memories of this beautiful country, it's friendly welcoming people and all the wonderful times we had there.

Thank you for coming along with me on my blog as I reminisced about my experiences. I truly appreciate all your comments! I hope my blog has encouraged you to think about taking a trip to Ireland someday, and in fact, I know it has, as so many of you have told me you would love to visit it!

Here are some websites that were helpful to us as we planned our visit:

Discover Ireland

Railtours Ireland

Irish City Tours

Dublin Sightseeing