ART AND COTTAGE INDUSTRIES. 443 



Besides the art and cottage industries already mentioned, there are others 



which are carried on in Ireland with more or less 



Other success, but, so far as concerns the production of 



Art Industries. genuine works of art, on a comparatively small scale. 



Among these are stained glass, wood-carving, book- 

 binding, wrought-iron, repousse brass and copper work, cabinet-making, 

 basket-work, pottery. The STAINED GLASS from Belfast exhibited at the 

 Art-s and Crafts Exhibition (Dublin) of 1899 was considered by Mr. Harold 

 Rathbone, who wrote the official report of the Exhibition for the Com- 

 mittee, to show remarkable merit in drawing and colour. The Department 

 of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland has lately pro- 

 moted the development of the industry in Dublin by oroviding 

 the best artistic instruction obtainable, and a window made in the school 

 thus started may be seen in the Department's section of the Cork Exhibi- 

 tion. The great ship-building works in Belfast provide much local employ- 

 ment for Wood Carvers, Leather Workers, Pyrographers, etc., and 

 a high standard of technique is thereby generally attained, though in 

 capacity for dealing with figure subjects Dublin is ahead. Carving in 

 stone and marble for ecclesiastical work is carried on by several firms, 

 but hardly reaches the level of an art at present, though some carvings 

 recently done on the new cathedral at Letterkenny show decided promise 

 in this direction. Artistic BOOK-BINDING of a high class is done on a small 

 ■scale in Belfast ; but on the whole, this industry, which might so suitably 

 ■employ the taste and skill of Irish workers, must be admitted to be in a 

 backward condition in this country. Wrought-IRON is made in Belfast 

 and in Dublin, and, as fine specimens of the achievements of these cities in 

 this direction the visitor to Ireland may be referred to the barrier of the 

 station of the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway in Belfast, and to 

 the entrance gate of the Science and Art Buildings, Kildare-street, Dublin. 

 The industry of RepoussE Brass AND COPPER WORK has attained so 

 remarkable an artistic development at Fivemiletown, County Tyrone, that 

 we may give some details of its origin. 



Cottage industries have flourished in Fivemiletown for several years 



under the direction of Mrs. Montgomery, of Blessing- 



The Fiyemiletown bourne, who has organised embroidery and sewing 



Industries. classes for girls. Mrs. Montgomery determined to 



extend the scope of her work, and to find occupation 

 to which the young men as well as the young women of Fivemiletown 

 could devote their spare hours. She went to London in 1891, and placed 

 herself under the tuition of a lady teacher in repousse metal work, who had 

 been recommended to her by the Home Arts and Industries Association, 

 and by the Spring of 1892 she was able to start an art metal work class at 

 Fivemiletown itself. She was at first the only teacher, but was soon most 

 ably seconded by Mr. Wilson, the manager of the Fivemiletown branch of 

 the Northern Bank, whose children also showed an extraordinary aptitude 

 for the work. 



The Home Arts and Industries Association supplied some of the designs, 

 others were furnished by Mr. H. de F. Montgomery himself, others again 

 were worked up by Mr. John W^illiams, their main characteristics being 

 flowery forms of a bold, conventional treatment, which were mainly derived 

 from Persian and Gothic sources. Some again were adapted from old 

 fifteenth century patterns, others were original. The result was that the 



