From time to time humorists over here state that "no glass was ever made in Ireland," so that the following list of localities where a few of the best known glass-houses stood will be of interest:—

Antrim: (Ballycastle) 1755 to 1790.

Bottles, heavy rummers, and very coarse but useful glass.

Belfast: 1781 to 1870.

Fine flint glass, heavy, rather white handsome deep cutting and very fine bold engraving. Glass was brought here from other parts of Ireland to be decorated. Foreign engravers were employed and excellent work done. Very fine lustres, candlesticks, etc., were made here by McDowell, following chiefly Adam and Georgian designs.

Cork: 1782 to 1844.

Finely cut glass of every description, delicate engraving on blown ware, gilding; particularly famous for its rummers, heavy and light-blown decanters, and, after 1800, whole dessert services of beautiful colour and various cutting. Black glass was made here in 1785, and window glass in 1782.

As the card of membership of the Cork Glass Cutters' Union (shown on Plate I.) proves, "lustre" cutting was popular here.

Dublin: Circa 1630 to 1896.

Window glass was made here from about 1630 and onwards, and as early as 1729 the Round Glass House in Dublin produced choice specimens of glass, such as salvers and dessert baskets, with handles and feet, of particularly fine workmanship and design, but now exceedingly rare and difficult to find. Very beautiful glass was made in Marlborough Street, Dublin, by the firm of Williams, about 1771. They appear to have specialised in chandeliers, candlesticks, salvers, bowls, decanters, bottles, bells, and Épergnes. During the last quarter of the eighteenth century and onwards there were numbers of houses here in which every kind of white and coloured glass was made. Many fine specimens still exist, of which Pugh's productions (though rather late) are worthy of note, particularly his "lustre" cutting. The early moulded pieces were very elegant and quaint, very much like Bristol, but so far as I have observed, heavier, and, of course, richer and darker in tone.

Drumrea: (Dungannon) 1771 to 1776.

Much the same kind of glass as Cork, but clearer; noted for fine green and amber coloured glass both in bottles, drops for chandeliers, jelly glasses, wine glasses, and Épergnes.

Newry: 1790 to 1847.

A great variety of flint glass, both cut and plain, very heavy. A great deal of table glass was made here.

Waterford: 1729 to 1852.

Produced every possible kind of glass of the most beautiful colour and cutting. The chandeliers, candelabra, boat-shaped and turnover bowls, were perfect. The finest period was just after 1780. After 1830 the glass became much whiter. About 1815 some wonderful deep "step" cutting was done, which made the glass, in some lights, look like silver plate; while dessert services were a great feature, and I constantly come in contact with parts of these services (tucked away in cellars and odd places) of the most surprisingly beautiful workmanship and colour.

Portarlington: 1670.

One of the very earliest glass-houses was erected here on the Stannus property, but very little is known about it or its particular productions, and it closed down in a few years from lack of financial support. I believe drinking glasses were its chief output. We have a tumbler which was made here, and some wine glasses are still in existence.

IRISH GILDING.

Foreign workmen were employed in Ireland, particularly cutters, engravers, and gilders. Irish gilding almost stands alone. It is very hard, and cannot be rubbed off in the usual way. When deliberately scraped off it leaves the glass underneath quite rough, consequently it has survived ordinary wear and tear almost intact. The process was chemical, and it is a great pity that more of it was not done. Very fine soft oil gilding was executed for some years, about 1786, by a German called Grahl.

THE LAST MAKER.

The glass industry died out about 1896, Pugh, of Dublin, being the last maker of flint glass in Ireland. He is often credited with being the first to introduce "lustre" cutting, but the rare plate of the Cork Glass Cutters' Union, already referred to, shows that this decoration must have been done in Cork early in the nineteenth century, since it may be presumed that the pieces they have chosen as being representative of their own craft would be those most largely produced. The fine old jug in the centre, for instance, is a splendid specimen of "lustre" work. Some people, other than glass-cutters, refer to this as "pillar cutting"—quite a good description.

GLASS-MAKERS' WAGES.

While on the subject of the workers, it will be of interest, in these days of high wages, to recall the remuneration paid to these artists in glass as recorded in the Dublin Museum. The founder received the princely sum of 7s. for his week's work, while the fireman only got 6s. The glass-maker himself (not the cutter or the engraver) was evidently a piece-worker, earning at most 50s. a week, and was doubtless a mighty wealthy man.

Naturally the extraordinary cheapness of fuel in Ireland was a great help to the owner of a glass-house, as wood was the chief thing he burnt. But late in the seventeenth century an Act was passed prohibiting the felling of trees for this purpose, so even in those early days manufacturers had their troubles. However, I do not think this interfered very much. If an Irishman wants a thing, it takes a great deal more than an Act of Parliament passed by the Englishman on the other side of the water to stop him.

As late as the nineteenth century, in my father's time, our village carpenter would come and buy a good-sized ash tree for 1s. 6d. Those not so well off freely helped themselves by the light of the moon. We do not bring people to justice in Ireland for little slips of that sort: we should have no time left to ourselves if we did.

GLASS CUTTERS.

Very simple and primitive were the instruments used by the glass-cutters. Speaking broadly, the artist (for he was an artist) merely required revolving wheels, from 2 in. to 14 in. or 16 in. in diameter, sand, water, powdered pumice, and "putty powder," a mixture of whitening and other ingredients for polishing.

The wheels consisted of "mild steel" for cutting (many sizes), a "blue stone" wheel for smoothing, and one of very hard wood for polishing. Brush wheels were also employed.

The illustration of a very primitive glass-cutter's shed (from a drawing in my possession) will explain better than words how the work was done; the wheels were turned by the rough boards worked by the cutter's foot, while with his unerring hands he would perform marvellous feats of glass-cutting. Water and sand dripped slowly on to his wheel while he worked, generally from a flower-pot hung above.

He worked from a rough design on paper beside him, and this design he first scratched on the piece of glass with a sharp instrument. Much of the glass-cutting was done outside the glass-houses by men who had their cutting sheds in their own homes, as is shown in the illustration, and this accounts for the "individuality" of the work done. These men, dreamers and artists, were a "guild" with a very high ideal. The old Irish silversmiths also worked at home in a similar fashion, and, as all the world knows, executed the most perfect work.

In these days it is interesting to know that a strike ended the industry in Cork previous to 1840. Some English workmen came over and told the Cork men they were working too cheaply, though in fact they were much better off than those in England (where machinery was now well installed). The glass owners, who had become wealthy, but saw little prospects of retaining their fortunes under changed conditions, fought the men, and eventually closed down their factories.

Those in Waterford continued for some years later, and the last record of this town is in the catalogue of the London Exhibition of 1851, where Gatchell had some wonderful exhibits, including one centrepiece of forty pieces of glass for a banqueting table, no metal work of any kind being used in it.

In 1788 William Penrose made a celebrated service for their Majesties. And as early as 1729 beautiful deep green glass was made at Waterford.

Interesting and romantic were the tales told by the last of the hand glass-cutters, Barry Sheehan, who died a very old man in Cork in 1890. He knew all the old glass-cutters, was an artist and enthusiast, and always kept an old hand-cutting wheel at the back of his shop, a relic of a past age of inspired workers.

According to this great authority, "lustre cutting" was the most difficult of all, and very popular in Cork.

One old lady who lives in Cork, a sister of the late Mrs. Gatchell, who is nearly 100 years of age, has a set of chessmen in old Irish glass, and many children's toys and trumpets were made in her late husband's factory.

One of the glass-houses in Cork was owned by "honest Joe Romayne," one time M.P. for Cork, and another by a family named Foley, and the descendants of both of these people have some splendid pieces still.

Engraving was a different matter. This decoration was more often done by men (chiefly foreigners) who wandered round the country carrying with them a queer little box (one of which I have in my possession). A few delicate copper wheels were used outside the box, which were driven by a shaft, and two wheels inside. The handle was turned by a boy while the engraver worked.