Belleek, County Fermanagh

Went for a walk before breakfast - beautiful crisp, clear morning.
First stop Belleek Pottery Factory just across the border in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The factory tour was fantastic and showed every step in the production process of a piece of Belleek Pottery. The workers take about four years to complete an apprenticeship and it's considered a job for life. The pieces are handled by 16 pairs of hands before completion. Belleek has a very high standard and any piece that is not perfect is destroyed - they don't have seconds. Some of the painting e.g. the shamrocks, are painted freehand and the flowers are all made by hand. The small Museum was interesting and had a mirror that took two craftsmen one year to complete. This was one of the best tours of its kind we have seen.
The Belleek,factory entrance, some of the workers & the mirror that took one year to make.Read more