EireLandings ~ Part After Twelve ~ Crystal Clear

On the road from Blarney

       As we moved away from Blarney, the rain stopped, the sun peeked through the clouds, and the weather warmed.  The swiftly changing landscape kept me, camera in hand, watching for moments to capture.  The green of the rural fields turned into sudden bursts of nearly neon yellow in the fields of rapeseed, (or more politely named canola).

Rapeseed (Canola) Field

Beer Cart Reminiscence

In smaller cities and towns, we saw entertaining advertising on walls and signs.  Wall
sculptures depicting the early transport of beer and spirits and murals that are designed to remind the observer of a brewing thirst (it works!)

Murphy's Mural (even the cat in the "window" is painted!)

                                               

And, of course, the waterscapes are as picturesque as ever.

Nearly postcard worthy

Some are stunning postcard-worthy scenes; others are views that make me want to live THERE!

I'll send you my address

 On any bus or car journey there are the inevitable traffic jams and this trip was no exception, except, of course, for the exception:

 The signs for our afternoon destination came into view:  Waterford.

       Entering the City we encountered the usual architectural artifacts of an historic settlement - city walls and fortress towers - as in any medieval city in Great Britain or Europe .  The City was settled by the Vikings in the year 914 on the main estuary of the River Suir, the major seaport in Ireland's southeast.

       None of the walls and towers we saw in Waterford are more famous or significant than Reginald's Tower built in 1185 by the Normans on a Viking site. The Tower was the wedding chapel of Richard de Clare, the Earl of Pembroke, aka, Strongbow, an Anglo-Norman Baron who helped drive out the Vikings.  The King of Leinster gave his daughter in marriage to Strongbow in thanks for his help returning the King's lands.  There's a whole book there...

Reginald's Tower with the statue of Waterford Native
Thomas Francis Meagher

      Another book could be - probably has been - written about the horseman on the statue opposite the Tower. Thomas Francis Meagher was born into luxury in Waterford in what is now the Granville Hotel where we stayed the night on this trip. An Irish Nationalist, Meagher was sentenced to death for sedition in 1848 but the sentence was commuted to life in Van Diemen's Land in Australia.  He escaped and landed in New York where he studied law and then became a Brigadier General in the Union Army during the American Civil War and recruited Irish immigrants to serve with him. After the war he was appointed Acting Governor for the Montana Territory but soon after that he drowned in the Missouri River, accidentally falling from a riverboat.  From grand beginnings, to heroic action, to an ignoble ending.  I hope that I'm doing life the other way around (although I'm not sure about doing the "heroic" part.)

       We then arrived for our afternoon tour at the

      The Penrose brothers started glass making in Waterford in 1783 and along with much success the company has had many financial ups and downs.  Closed in the 19th Century, it reopened in 1947 and re-earned its world renowned status very quickly though it again had more fiscal problems.  A financial reoganization in the 1990s has given new life to the company which now produces most of its fine quality crystal in other equal factory settings around the world.  But much of the specialty work is still done in Waterford.

       As we toured the working factory, we had an early look at several of the actual trophies that will be presented at the 2012 Olympics in London:

        The dazzling detail on other trophies and collectible pieces continue to maintain the high standards that enhance the icon status of the Waterford name:

       Watching the pieces take shape from heating the glass, observing the skills of the blowers, molders, and engravers, doesn't even slightly diminish the sense of magic for what human hands, hearts, and minds can produce. From merely sorting the pieces to putting a masterpiece together, it is pure mastercrafting at its finest.

       One commemorative piece was particularly moving to me, having seen the original in its place.

New York World Trade Center Commemorative

Loose Corner Crystals laid out in pattern 

The Finished Piece
 

       After the tour of the working factory, we had time to browse the sales floor.  I considered a few things for my palatial home:

                        

Something for the Foyer
or the Lbrary

   

For the Dining Room, or, Perhaps the Bath?

      

But, of course!

The Pefect Wine Glass!

       After a toodle around the sales areas, I didn't make a purchase for myself but it was fun to see all the sparkle! And then it was time to head to our historic hotel, the Granville, for dinner and a breather before we head out for a very entertaining evening. More to come...

The City of Waterford has been fortunate to have done extensive archaelogoical excavations and has now provided pedestrian walkways in the historic areas as well as by its waterside quays (keys).

Photo credits to Favorite Oldest Daughter for Traffic Jam, House of Waterford sign, World Trade Center, and Chandelier.  Editing credit to her Favorite Mother (that would be me!).