Our first stop today was at the Waterford Crystal Factory. This was a very interesting tour which demonstrated the entire process of the making of some of he most exquisite crystal in the world, including the globe that descends in Times Square to mark the New Year. From the initial "blowing" of a piece of molten crystal to the laborious hand cutting and shaping, this is a very labor intensive process, which accounts for the high prices Waterford crystal commands. Unfortunately, according to our driver,Seamus, little of this is performed in Ireland anymore. Most of the work was farmed out to the Chech Republic when Waterford was bought out by a foreign corporation, resulting in the loss of thousands of highly skilled jobs in Ireland.
We had lunch in the town of Waterford at a delightful "carvery" that Seamus recommended. They were even so nice as to clear a special area for our group to able to be seated together.
Next stop, Jerpoint Abbey. This Cistercian ruins dates back to 1160 and remained active up until Henry VIII dissolved all of the Monasteries. We had a guided tour presented by a very enthusiastic and knowledgable guide named Margaret. She made the tour both interesting and very informative, giving us a wonderfully vivid look at life as a Cistercian monk.
Checking into the Lyrath Estates Hotel, we had sufficient time before dinner to relax and explore the hotel grounds. A few of us took a walk around he extensive grounds and eventually came upon what we assume is the owners home. At the end of a long driveway was a gated residence with three beautiful white retrievers (referred to as Snow Angel Retrievers) playing out front. Dinner at the hotel was elegant and delicious, though the service to one of our two tables was more than just a bit slow. I think someone "dropped the ball". In compensation drinks at that table were made complimentary.
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