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JERPOINT GLASS – KILKENNY
Hand-Blown Glass and the Harry Potter Goblet
At
the end of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”, Harry,
Ron and Hermione raise a glass in a toast. The heavy glass goblet in the
heroes’ hands was made in a hand-craft shop near Kilkenny Ireland.
The Jerpoint Glass Studio has been making hand-blown crystal glass for
30 years. In the small intimate studio on a piece of farmland near the
ancient
abbey (see Jerpoint
Abbey), and across from
the entrance to the Mount Juliet Hotel and Golf Resort (see Mount
Juliet), the craft of the
glass blower can be observed in the workshop.
Expert craftsmen, who have learned their skill over a period of a minimum
of five to seven years, spin colored glass pieces into the glowing molten
non-lead crystal blobs which grow with a blow of the air pipe, spun and
shaped
into the artworks that serve as dishes and home art.
Jerpoint Glass Studio was founded by master glassblower Keith Leadbetter
in 1979, mixing modern techniques with hand-blown glass methods which date
back 2000 years, creating prize winning craft products for Ireland and attaining
international acclaim. Jerpoint uses a glass recipe which replaces lead with
a special ingredient to maintain the sparkling brilliance of crystal but
without the negative properties of lead and creating colors unique to their
glass products.
Visitors are
encouraged to watch the master glass makers at work in a relaxed home shop
factory. The process takes two glass blowers
working in tandem in a sort of rhythmic dance, with each taking the lead
in a time honored ritual, taking a blob of glass melted in the 1170 degree
furnace and turning it into a variety of shapes based on patterns held
only in memory, from wine glasses to luminescent vases taking shape before
your
eyes.
Visiting the Jerpoint
Glass Studio is free, open all year 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and
12pm to 5pm Sundays and Bank Holidays. The shop and gallery
is next door to the studio workshop with a full range of the Jerpoint Collection
available for purchase, along with one-off unique pieces and seconds at reduced
prices. Beside the beautiful examples of the glass making art are accessories
from candles and blankets to jewelry. Upstairs above the shop, the Glass
Attic Gallery displays glasswork from some of Ireland’s finest craftsmen
and paintings by local artists.
The Jerpoint Glass Studio & Gallery is located about 8 miles from the city of Kilkenny, off the Waterford Rd (N10), with signposts along the way. The glass studio is one of the stops along the Made in Kilkenny Craft Trail of craft shops surrounding the historic town. Though you'll find no magic wand shops, follow the trail and take home a wizard's goblet. © Bargain Travel Europe
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Web
Info
Jerpoint
Glass Studio
Made
in Kilkenny
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SEE ALSO:
ABBEY HOUSE B&B - JERPOINT ABBEY VIEW
SMITHWICK’S ST FRANCIS ABBEY BREWERY TOUR
THE WEAVING MILL AT AVOCA VILLAGE
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