Belleek anyone?

For years my mother treasured her piece of Belleek, a delicate, translucent piece of Irish china. Today we had the opportunity to take a tour of the Belleek Pottery Centre, where it’s been produced since 1857. The process was fascinating, starting in most cases with Plaster of Paris molds. The thin and delicate pieces are made by pouring a liquid mixture of clay into the mold and allowing it to dry a closely timed interval. The artist then carefully smooths out the edges and applies trim and ornamentation prior to the initial firing. The piece is dipped in a substance to give it a translucent look and fired again. Colored glaze is next, followed by a third firing. The pieces are thoroughly inspected for quality and any found lacking are destroyed. The are no seconds where Belleek is concerned. We watched an artisan carefully construct a woven basket. She said her apprenticeship was 4 years and she’s now been working here for 24 years. Time and skill are of the essence, as she’s paid by the piece, not the hour. Oh, and did I mention that the guy who started it all was named Caldwell, and Castle Caldwell was just up the road a piece. Perhaps if I’d known that in advance I could have done the Chevy Chase National Lampoon European Vacation routine and been invited to tea! Instead we settled for scones and tea in the cafe. Afterwords we headed into Donegal to explore the town. We found the perfect Irish tweed cap for Mike at Hanna’s Hats, a small shop where they make their own hats on the outskirts of town. We celebrated our purchase in a pub with the locals watching the steeplechase. Back on the grounds of our hotel we learned that the international Appalachian Trail went by the grounds. Of course we had to head down and check it out, hiking a small section sans backpacks of course 😉.Read more