Irish Glass. 51 



clay of which the pots are made is certainly English, and the sand^ 

 which is mixed with red lead, is taken principally from the Isle 

 of Wight." Also in the evidence taken before the Committee 

 appointed in 1785 to inquire into the commercial relations 

 between Great Britain and Ireland, it was stated that the sand for 

 Irish glass was obtained from the Isle of Wight. 



In Pugh's glass-house in Dublin in the second half of the 

 nineteenth century sand for flint glass was obtained from 

 Fontainebleau, near Paris, and also from Germany, that from 

 Fontainebleau being preferred. 



Sand for some of the Irish flint glass was obtained locally. 

 The glass-house at Drumrea, near Dungannon, used sand which 

 was stated to be found on the spot, and to make as good flint glass 

 as any imported ; and in Ireland in the Nineteenth Century, by 

 Atkinson, published in 1833, it is stated that: "Silica sand is 

 found on the Muckish Mountain, Co. Donegal, within a few miles 

 of the safe and deep harbours of Sheephaven and Dunfanaghy. 

 This sand has been found to be of such superior quality for the 

 manufacture of glass that it has been purchased in large quantities 

 for the Belfast glass-house." 



Robert Hurst, a Bristol window and bottle glass manufacturer, 

 in his evidence before the Committee appointed to inquire into 

 the commercial relations between Great Britain and Ireland, stated 

 that most of the materials for his glass were obtained from Ireland. 



In the Cork Exhibition of 1902 a small quantity of flint glass 

 was made of Muckish sand. The glass, which was clear and 

 white, showed to advantage when cut. Wine glasses and goblets 

 were made, a specimen of the latter, No. 522-02, being in the 

 Museum. 



Sand for making common glass bottles was obtained in 

 Ireland, — that for the Dublin glass-houses from the North Bull ; 

 for Cork probably from Youghal and Tramore ; and that for 

 Ballycastle from the immediate neighbourhood. It is said that 

 ships trading between the South of Ireland and France often 

 brought back sand as ballast, but whether this sand was used in 

 the manufacture of glass either in Cork or Waterford is yncertain, 



