Tyrone Crystal

You can almost feel the heat of the furnace as molten glass is sculpted into sparkling goblets. Enjoy this silent journey through the factory floor, 7 years after it was founded by Fr. Austin Eustace. The aim was to train and hire local unemployed people in a highly skilled craft so they could enjoy meaningful work. It was one of many creative solutions to rising unemployment and rampant sectarian discrimination in Northern Ireland.

Reportedly an ad in a national newspaper caught the eye of two Austrian glass blowers hiking in England, who came to Tyrone to train locals in the art of glass blowing. Before this factory opened these workers learned their trade amongst the coffins behind Mc Aleers Hotel. Locals gathered jam jars and bottles for trainees to practice with. They would go on to produce Ireland’s largest chandelier which hangs in The Merchant Hotel in Belfast. This self-help solution to chronic unemployment produced a global success before changing tastes and recession forced Tyrone Crystal to close its doors after nearly 40 years in 2010. This material from the BFI collection was filmed by the Central Office of Information.