Wok N Roll with us...Bob and Teri Along with Atlas and Kalani: Waterford and Kilkenny, Ireland July 31, 2019

Last night we had what was probably our nicest room on the trip (view wise, anyway). And this morning we started our day with a beautiful sunrise. Bags out by 7 am. That has been a common theme on this trip as we have really been on the go, go, go.

Today we took a very short walk over to the House of Waterford Crystal for a very personal tour of the factory. It is an amazing place to visit and having the opportunity to watch the various artists design their custom pieces was an added treat. The origins of crystal production in Waterford, Ireland dates back to 1783 and the history of the company includes a roller coaster of events. John Hill was the key figure craftsman and the Penroses, who knew nothing about glass manufacturing were the businessmen guiding the operation. John Hill is credited with polishing the glass after cutting which created their signature removal of the frosted glass appearance. But John Hill would not stay long. After 3 years the Penrose family made some accusations concerning John resulting in John Hill leaving Waterford forever. Before leaving, however, John would pass on the secrets of his compounding to a clerk that was sympathetic to his situation. This clerk, Jonathan Gatchell, would soon rise to fame within the company. The company had some prosperous years until the death of Primrose in 1796. Within months, the business was put up for sale. In 1799 the business was purchased and a partnership was formed with James Ramsey, Ambrose Barcroft and Jonathan Gatchell, the onetime clerk who had obviously done well for himself. In 1810, when Ramsey died, the partnership dissolved. But the onetime clerk, Jonathan Gatchell became the sole proprietor of the flint glass company. Jonathan died in 1823, leaving a widow and 3 small children. The company carried on with various partnerships until Jonathan's son George was old enough to take over the business in 1835. But when young George took over the company it was a struggling business that was suffering from lack of capital, higher wages and various imposed duties and export taxes. By 1851 the struggling company in Waterford came to an end. Many of the artisans went to Belfast but by 1896 all flint glass production in Ireland came to an end. Almost 100 years after the factory closed, despite the country still suffering from the ravages of WWII, a small glass factory would evolve in a suburb of Waterford in 1947. The new owners recruited an artesian named Miroslav Havel from Czechoslovakia. Miroslav immediately began to study the old pattern books which were stored in the National Museum of Dublin. And so marked the rebirth of the Waterford Crystal patterns some 100 years later. Our tour of today's House of Waterford Crystal factory was fascinating. We were given an up-close view of molds being made, blocks of glass being heated, blown, carved and sanded. The skill and craftsmanship we witnessed if truly magical to observe.

We continued our magical journey today to Kilkenny Castle. Kilkenny Castle was founded in 1195, shortly after the Norman conquest. The castle was originally built by Earl of Pembroke as a way to control the connecting waterways around the River Nore. For some 600 years (1360 -1967) the Castle was owned by the Butler Family. The Butler Family sold the property, which by then was suffering great structural decay, to the Office of Public Works This office has managed to do extensive renovations and archeology studies. and have brought the castle back from its ruins.

We had some additional time to explore the town of Kilkenny. We walked up to St. Mary's Cathedral that is located at the highest point in the city of Kilkenny. This Cathedral, completed in 1857, is an early English gothic design based upon the Gloucester Cathedral in England. We finished our afternoon with a great lunch of Irish fish and chips with mushy peas.