Crystal if you please

Remember back in the 70’s and 80’s when we just had to have Waterford Crystal to go with our china??? Ireland has been known for Waterford Crystal since forever. It began back in 1783 until 1851. Attempts to restart the business finally came to fruition in 1947 and carried on until 2009, when workers fought hard to keep the factory open. The Waterford brand is currently owned by a Finnish group and most of the crystal is produced in Eastern Europe. But we all still associate Waterford Crystal with Ireland. Since we were passing by Waterford on our way to Wexford, of course we had to stop. Couldn’t be this close and miss out on the opportunity. As we wandered around town, wracking up the step count trying to find the Waterford Crystal Center, we encountered an older gentleman about our age who pointed us in the right direction after sharing that his 94 year old mother still won’t let him anywhere near her Waterford Crystal. To think that I just gladly gave all mine to my son and daughter in law before we moved. How motherhood has changed! We wandered around the showroom and admired all the lovely crystal pieces without the slightest desire to take any home. I did get my question answered about lead in the crystal. Their recommendation is not to leave liquid in decanters for any prolonged length of time. Good to know. Waterford is actually Ireland’s oldest city, founded by the Vikings in the 9th century and later taken over by the Norman Strong Bow until eventually falling to Cromwell. It languished until the advent of crystal making, and the rest is history.Read more