Made in Ireland: Glass

Oct 24, 2011, 03:39 PM

Take soda, lime, silica, aluminum oxide and a few other substances, pour into a furnace at 1680 degrees Celsius and you’ve got yourself one of the most common materials around - glass.

When it comes to craft, glass has got Ireland on the world stage. Back in the 1700s, the Penrose brothers set up the Waterford Glass House; soon ships were exporting crystal throughout Europe and beyond. In 1901, An Túr Gloine ‘The Tower of Glass’ cooperative studio was set up, putting Ireland on the map as one of the best countries in the world for stained glass artistry.

No surprise, then, that the tradition of working with glass continues in Ireland...