House of Waterford Crystal

Glassmaking in Waterford dates to 1783, when George and William Penrose founded a works in the city; the modern company's history is more turbulent. The main Kilbarry plant closed in 2009 when the group went into receivership, with the loss of hundreds of jobs and a sit-in by workers, and manufacturing largely moved abroad. What reopened in 2010 was this smaller city-centre facility, where a team of master blowers, cutters, sculptors and engravers work on the premium and commissioned pieces - trophies, one-offs and the annual Times Square New Year ball panels among them. The tour takes you along the working benches while people are actually blowing and cutting, close enough to feel the furnace heat, which is what distinguishes it from a display. The retail gallery is large and the tour ends in it, which is the commercial logic of the place and is not disguised.

What you actually see

• The blowing floor - molten glass worked at the furnace, metres away.
• The cutting benches - master cutters working wheels by hand and eye.
• The commissioned pieces - trophies and one-offs in progress.
• The 1783 origin - the Penrose works the name descends from.

When to go

Any season; indoors. Craftspeople work weekday hours, so weekend tours see far less activity. Tours run at set times and book up in summer.

Honest expectations

Most Waterford Crystal is no longer made in Waterford - this facility handles premium and commissioned work only. Weekends see little or no production. The tour ends in a large shop, by design.

Nearby

The Viking Triangle, Reginald's Tower and the Irish Wake Museum are a short walk.