Wet, Windy, and Grey Waterford

 Monday, August 25th

In the grey and wet we set off for Waterford. It was a short drive and we arrived in time for a 10:30 tour of Waterford Crystal. Although the company is smaller and two thirds of their crystal is made outside of Ireland the new building is impressive. Of course there is a large showroom of items for sale that we could browse before and after the tour. The tour begins with a glitzy surround picture and sound intro to Waterford Crystal. The tour took us through all the steps of hand making pieces. It was very interesting because we were watching master craftsman at work without any partitions to separate us. Several of the employees paused to chat. To work for Waterford you spend five years as an apprentice. At the end of that time you have a piece that you have to create flawlessly. If you fail you can quit or start the five years over again. If you succeed you begin a three year program becoming a master in just one element of the production. For the rest of your career you only perform that one task, be it blowing, polishing, inspecting, engraving, etc. To us it sounded a bit tedious.

Crystal clock at Waterfords

                                                     Craftsmen at work in the Waterford factory 

Hustling across the street without any glass purchases we joined a tour of the Bishop's Palace. There were two guides dressed in period costumes that explained the rooms and the history. It was a decent tour with much of the information a repetition of known facts. However, when a guide says something that I  know is false I begin to wonder about the rest. Thomas Meagher was a native of Waterford who led a troop of Irishmen in The American Civil War. Later he was the governor of the Montana Territory and subsequently drowned in the Missouri River. Our guide stated that authorities in both the U.S. and Ireland agreed that if he had lived he would have become the President of the United States. Apparently our guide missed the part of the Constitution that states born an American citizen that has been so widely discussed in relation to Mr. Obama. Also reading about Meagher online, he is described as a rather sketchy character.

Our third tour of the day was a walking tour of Waterford. The weather had improved and it was dry with some sun appearing between the clouds. Jack, our guide was knowledgeable but unenthusiastic. Could this be because we were the only two people who showed up for the event? While strolling we learned about the trading history of Waterford and the fortunes made from salted cod (it had a 20 year shelf life), which was sold worldwide. An unusual fact, both the Protestant and Catholic cathedrals in the city were designed and built by the same man. 

Strongbow and Aiofe sculpture

Waterford seemed a bit shabby with much less to see and do than we had expected. Perhaps better weather would have improved the landscape but one day in the city was plenty for us.