Wkstropp — Glass-Making in Ireland. 57 



second quarter of the nineteenth century still have the broad, low nail-heads, 

 while pieces with dee^j, sharp diamond-cutting are usually late— about 1820 to 

 1840, or even later. 



Some of the Irish glass may have been gilt, as in 1786 a John Grahl and 

 a Eichard Grant obtained a premium from the Royal Dublin Society for 

 gilding on glass. 



As it is almost impossible to obtain authentic pieces from individual 

 Irish glass houses, it is very dtfificult to say if a particular style of cutting 

 was peculiar to any one factory. It is said, however, that the sharp diamond- 

 cutting was extensively employed at Eonayne's factory in Cork ; and it is 

 certain that the very fine diamond-cutting, strawberry-cutting, and the large 

 upright fluting were used at Waterford. 



Another fact which makes it difficult to determine anything from the 

 cutting is that the glass made in one town was often cut in another : for 

 example, large quantities of Waterford glass were cut in Cork and Belfast, 

 while Limerick possessed glass-cutters and engravers who jDrobably decorated 

 glass made in Cork and Waterford. 



Both the Cork and Waterford factories had warerooms in Dublin, and 

 during the time the glass houses were working a considerable amount of Cork 

 and Waterford glass, besides English and Scottish, was sold in Belfast, while 

 Dublin glass was largely sold in Cork. 



In decanters, as being the commonest examples of the old glass to be found 

 at the present day, the forms vary a good deal, some being barrel-shaped, 

 others squat, and others again tall, with slender necks, and gradually swelling 

 bodies. They almost always have raised rings round the neck, except in the 

 late examples, usually three, either quite plain, a kind of triple ring, feathered, 

 triangular or cut. Cork and Waterford certainly used the triple ring, almost 

 always three being on each decanter, while Belfast used the triangular ring, 

 and generally only two. 



Some of the later decanters, about 1830 or 1840, had no rings, but the 

 neck was cut in prisms, &c., and the sides perpendicular. A peculiarity of 

 Irish glass, especially in salad-bowls, salt-cellars, and pickle-ixrns, is the plain, 

 roughly moulded base so often found attached to pieces otherwise finely cut. 

 These moulded bases, although occasionally polished roimd the edge, appear 

 rather incongruous. 



Besides cut glass, a large amount of engraved glass was also made in 

 Ireland, chiefly decorated with fine lines, stars, &c., and also with vine-leaves 

 and bunches of grapes. This engraved and flowered-glass, as it was called, 

 appears to have been made in all the factories. 



Many of the decanters, water-jugs, finger-glasses, &c., bear fine, upright 



R.I.A. PROC, VOL. XXIX., SECT. C. [9] 



