29 
August, 1919 
How little it takes to make the young and 
the gay yet more joyous! 
Often when I see a bit of old Irish glass, 
that beloved picture comes before me. I am a 
happy child again, filled with complete satis¬ 
faction to be near the father I loved so well. 
The beauty of Irish glass means much to me, 
for its subdued radiance holds memories of 
gracious and unforgotten days. 
The Beginning of Irish Glass 
As early as 1585, the manufacture of glass 
began in Ireland. Queen Elizabeth gave a 
grant to a certain Captain Thomas Woodhouse 
for making glazing and drinking glass. He 
was to make glass “as cheep or better cheepe” 
than similar glass in foreign parts. By 1597 
a good deal of glass had been made, and a 
petition was sent to Her Majesty to further 
and increase the industry. “The argument ad¬ 
dressed to the Commonwealth, 
stated that in this way the timber 
of England would be preserved, 
the superfluous forest of Ireland 
would grow again.” And that 
“Much trade and civility will in¬ 
crease in that rude country by in¬ 
habiting those great woods.” 
The Irish are naturally artistic. 
Nature has endowed them with a 
daintiness of touch; they have 
hands—an eye for line, and a 
feeling for design. The smallest 
exhibition of Arts and Crafts in 
Dublin justifies this assertion. 
The glass industry became a 
flourishing one in Ireland. There 
were not only factories in Water¬ 
ford, but in Dublin, where in 
1750 a miniature and landscape 
Candelabra with diamond cutting drops. 
Waterford, 18 th Century. Miss Persse 
Three fine Waterford boat-shaped bowls of 18 th and early 19 th Century 
manufacture. Courtesy of Miss Persse 
painter and glass manufacturer, Rupert Bar¬ 
ber, for the first time made green glass de¬ 
canters—now very rare—scent bottles, square 
canisters, bottles for snuff, and other objects 
of pleasing design. 
In 1771 the Dublin Journal advertised 
“Richard Williams & Co. are making drinking 
glasses and all other sorts of goods in the glass 
way, common, plain, enamelled, flowered, and 
cut. Green glass goods for any use, also win¬ 
dow and coach glass.” 
Waterford Glass 
Glass was not made in Waterford until 
1729. In October, 1783, the Penrose brothers 
were advertising in the Dublin Evening Post, 
“All kinds of flint glass, useful and ornamen¬ 
tal. We have a large number of the best 
manufacturers, cutters and engravers, by which 
we can supply every article in the most ele¬ 
gant style.” 
In 1785 a Mr. John Hill, a 
great manufacturer at Stowe- 
bridge, went to Waterford, tak¬ 
ing with him skilled workmen 
from Worcester, 
time acknowledged 
glass excelled her own. In May, 
1849, the Waterford Flint Glass 
Works were making “decanters, 
claret jugs, water jugs, liqueur 
bottles, carafes, pickle urns, salad, 
celery and sugar bowls, butter 
coolers, cream ewers, custard and 
jelly glasses, dinner and table 
lamps, gas chandeliers, crystal 
chandeliers for six lights, and 
beautiful specimens of Bohemian 
and Venetian glass.” 
(Continued on page 60) 
England at this 
that Irish 
Pickle urns with facet cut on bodies, of 
Cork and Waterford, 18 th and 19 th Century 
make. Courtesy of National Museum, Dublin 
A set of drinking glasses with bands of dia¬ 
mond cutting, Cork and Waterford. Early 
19 th Century. Courtesy of National Museum 
Drinking glass engraved with King William on horseback, the stem 
enclosing tear, sweetmeat glass and drinking glasses of 18 th Century 
Beehive-shaped scent bottle and bottle cut in lobes. Cork, early 19 th 
Century. Scent bottle flat shape and engraved. Waterford, 1784 
