Tyrone Crystal facts for kids
Tyrone Crystal was a special company that made beautiful crystal items. It was located in Dungannon, a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. They were known for their high-quality glass products.
Contents
The Story of Tyrone Crystal
How It Started
People have been making and decorating glass in County Tyrone for a very long time. Some of the earliest glass work in Europe was found there! Modern glass making started in 1771. That's when Benjamin Edwards began a company in County Tyrone, Ireland.
Tyrone Crystal itself was started much later, in 1971. A kind man named Father Austin Eustace wanted to help people find jobs. There weren't many jobs in the Dungannon area back then. No one there knew how to make crystal.
So, Father Eustace put an advertisement in a newspaper. He was looking for someone to teach people how to make crystal. Two skilled people from Austria saw the ad while hiking in England. They were a master glass blower and a master glass cutter. They came to Dungannon to train the new employees. The trainees started by practicing on old glass jars and bottles. Soon, they became very good at making their own beautiful crystal.
Growing and Shining
Tyrone Crystal became known for its excellent quality. In 1988, the company earned a special award called ISO 9000. This award shows that a company makes very high-quality products. Tyrone Crystal was the youngest glass company in Ireland or the UK to get this award.
In 1990, a new factory was built. It was so interesting that it also became a place for tourists to visit! In 2000, Tyrone Crystal bought another company called Tipperary Crystal. They also spent money to open a new visitors' centre in 2001. This showed how much the company was growing.
Later, in 2006, two businessmen named Peter Maginnis and Nigel Blackburn bought Tyrone Crystal.
Famous Creations
Tyrone Crystal made many amazing things. From 2005, they even made the trophy for the Canadian Grand Prix. This is a big car racing event!
A famous designer named Marcus Notley worked with Tyrone Crystal. He designed a huge and beautiful chandelier for the Great Room in the Merchant Hotel in Belfast. A chandelier is a fancy light fixture that hangs from the ceiling.
This chandelier was truly special. It was made with gold decorations and 2,600 pieces of blown crystal. It was 4.5 meters tall and 2.9 meters wide. It weighed 400 kilograms, which is like a small car! This made it the largest chandelier in all of Ireland. It was put in place in 2006.
The Factory Closes
Sadly, the Tyrone Crystal factory in Dungannon closed its doors on March 12, 2010. This meant that 31 people lost their jobs.
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