Goodbye to all that. Seen leaving Waterford Crystal for the last time, having received their redundancy forms, were, left to right, Billy Collins, Richard Power, Maurice Whittle, Cllr John OLeary, Pat Greene and Noel Connors. Photo: Jim OSullivan.
A sad and gloomy event occurred at Kilbarry this morning when our photographer recorded for posterity the final death throes of a once glorious era in our city and county.
For so long the jewel in the crown of Ireland’s export business, Waterford Crystal employed almost 4000 workers at the height of its success and the skill and artistry of its craftsmen and craftswomen was admired and celebrated the world over. A total of 27 people are still employed in the gallery showroom but their future is uncertain.
The once bustling factory and office complexes are now silent with the departure of the last 120 workers left on site. Where once an electrifying cacophony of voices and machinery created a powerful buzz that was almost tangible, there is now nothing other than the moan of a lonely wind through deserted buildings.
Shame on Fianna Fail, this is what they do to our City, County and indeed, Country and they expect us to vote yes to a Lisbon Treaty, they expect us to follow them and trust them in this Treaty, shame on them , I hope I will never see another Fianna Fail Govt. in power in my lifetime again. I hope the Irish people will not forget what these idiots (Government)have done to our Irish Republic that so many throughout history have fought and died only for the likes of whats in power now to beat down reland and its people.
A very sad day indeed,makes the decesion I made, all those years ago to emigrate, the right one, as I probally would have been one of the many to kick start their working life with Waterford Glass