Waterford is in the southeastern part of Ireland, about an hour-and-a-half drive from Cork. This town needs no introduction. It's where Waterford Crystal gets its name. It took awhile to find the Waterford Factory because the GPS kept pointing us to the old location. We finally asked someone and were able to find it. Luckily, we caught the last tour of the day. It costs 12 euros for a tour. We were taken into the factory to see how the craftsmen blow glass, carve the crystals and prepare them for the customers. It was an interesting tour and after going through it, you can see why Waterford Crystals are all so expensive.
A craftsman has to apprentice for 5 years before becoming a craftsman. Most of the craftsmen we saw in the factory have been working for Waterford for more than 30 years. I asked one of them why there are no young people working there. He said young people don't want to work in factories anymore. Sounds like a common problem in the developed countries.
A craftsman has to apprentice for 5 years before becoming a craftsman. Most of the craftsmen we saw in the factory have been working for Waterford for more than 30 years. I asked one of them why there are no young people working there. He said young people don't want to work in factories anymore. Sounds like a common problem in the developed countries.
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| A Glassblower shaping his piece |
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| Blowing the glass into a mould to get it into the right shape |
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| Polishing the glass before it's sold to customers |
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| Holding the Bowl Championship Series crystal football |
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| Master Craftsman cutting his piece. |
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| A piece like this takes about 3 weeks to make |
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| Another masterpiece |
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| A master craftsman with his masterpiece - an eagle |
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| A golfer (background) hitting onto the green (foreground) |
Meng, looks like you would fit into this career:)
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