GALWAY CRYSTAL

by Tom Kenny

In 1967, a meeting of Junior Chamber in Galway was discussing ways of creating employment in Galway, when Thomas McDonogh mentioned that he could not get Waterford Crystal to supply his shop in Merchant’s Road, so a number of the members decided to set up their own crystal factory. These were Thomas McDonogh, Seamus Kavanagh, Dermot McLoughlin, Charley Garavan, Joe Heskin, John Holland and Jack Toolan. Their average age was 29. They bought some cutting machinery and set up in a small garage, what is now Kilduff’s Motor Repair shop in Nun’s Island.

They brought four master glass cutters from Waterford, Dick Walsh, Eddie Doyle, Norbert Zimmer and Karl Pretzer. They imported glass blanks from Bavaria and started to train a group of young locals in a five year apprenticeship in cutting glass. They began using carborundum stone and graduated to diamond tipped machines. By August of that year, all the machines were working and 529 pieces were made in a week.

The Nun’s Island premises became too small so in 1968 they moved to the Skyline Ballroom (formerly the Eagle Ballroom) in Merlin Park which was owned by Jimmy and Nancy Coen. They employed Mattie Kennedy, a builder from Prospect Hill, who lifted the maple floor from the ballroom and converted it into shelving for the factory. New and more sophisticated machinery was installed, Donal Morrissy was employed as general manager and Paddy Foran as foreman. It cost the directors £70,000 to convert the ballroom into a new factory but business was improving. In October 1968, they celebrated an order from Australia for £50,000 worth of their product. In May, 1969 they were producing 3,000 pieces a week.Fergus Foley was appointed as a Public Relations adviser, and their first mail shot went out in October 1969. However, largely due to a faulty furnace, the business ran into difficulties and went into receivership.

It was taken over by Wedgewood and they developed a new cutting shop, a new acid plant, and for the first time, a new blowing shop where they could blow their own glass into various shapes. The glass was blown by four groups of five people, all controlled by one master blower known as ‘the chairman’ who coached the younger men. The glass was then cooled and brought to the cutting shop where seven groups of six to eight men roughly cut the glass. Another group would smooth the rough cuts and prepare the glass for the acid plant where they polished it with sulphuric and hydrochloric acid to give it the shine they wanted. Larry Jordan was the head of this department. Later, when Frances Keenan joined the firm, she and 5 other women inspected every piece of finished product.

A company called Holtex bought the business from Wedgewood, and in turn they were taken over by an American company called Towle Manufacturing, who became involved in a major court case in New York against Godlinger Silver Art Co. about copyright which Galway lost. Possibly because of that, they were taken over by a company set up by AIB Capital Investment and Bill Tobin, an American who had been one of Towle’s managers. Today, the business is owned by Beleek.

It took five years training to become a glass cutter, and a further two years to become a ‘master’ after which you were given five helpers to train. Our main photograph, c.1971, is of the first group of trainees to ‘graduate’ as glass cutters in the factory. They are, back row, left to right; Ray Jackson, Brian Raftery, Mike Forde, Tom Shanahan, James ‘Tex’ Callaghan, Martin Turke, John Conneely,  John McNamara, Ray Brett and Dick Walsh. In front are John Mannion, Jimmy Conaty, George Richardson, Pádraic Flaherty and P.J. Brennan. The next photograph shows Dermot McLoghlin,  Seamus Kavanagh and Pat Silke at Galway Docks  supervising the first shipment of  Glass to America  and our final image is of the Skyline Ballroom as it was when the factory moved there.

In 1993, the ballroom was knocked and replaced by the present building. At one point, Galway Crystal employed about 300 people. Today, they no longer blow or cut glass but functions as a shop with lots of great product, a heritage centre, a craft village and a restaurant.

Our thanks today for their help go to P.J. Brennan, Neil Walsh and Tex Callaghan.

To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the move to Merlin Park, some past members of staff are organising a get together in the Factory Restaurant on this Saturday. Tickets cost 20 euro which includes a buffet and wine reception with all proceeds going to Pieta House. It sounds like a great evening with lots of nostalgia. I am sure many will bring along old photographs memorabilia and of course, stories. If you are interested, contact Niall Walsh at 087 654 2082