Slide 01: Belleek pottery is made in the village of Beleek in County Fermanagh, province of Ulster in Northern Ireland.
Slide 02: Pottery began being made in Belleek in the mid-1800s when the landowner was looking for a way for his tenants to make a living after the potato famine.
Slide 03: Many of the beautiful designs start their life as castings from a master mold.
Slide 04: Belleek produces over 100,000 pieces of pottery annually, passing through only 16 pairs of hands.
Slide 05: Basket style pieces are created by using individual hand-rolled lengths of clay, first creating a base mat, then adding the side lengths over a form.
Slide 06: One specialty is the creating of flower blossoms from layers of flat-rolled clay. These are later applied to a variety of objects.
Slide 07: Minor imperfections are removed by hand before the pieces are glazed and fired. Any pieces with flaws that cannot be removed are destroyed. There are no “seconds” at Belleek.
Slide 08: After being glazed and fired, individual color accents can be added. This lady specializes in creating tiny shamrocks.
Slide 09: And here is the final product, ready for shipment.
Slide 10: You can find many unique, unusual designs, including this spider web plate for only 260 pounds (about $320 US).
Slide 11: Here is the basket design we saw earlier in its finished form, ready to be purchased as a souvenir of your factory tour.