The Blue Plaque Trail: The Penrose Brothers

The doubling of duty on English-manufactured glass in 1777 as well as the Free Trade Act of 1780 removing the duty on Irish glass provided the impetus for the development of glass manufacturing in Ireland. In 1783 the brothers George and William Penrose established their glass manufactory in Waterford.

From a distinguished Quaker family the Penrose brothers first began making glass near John's Bridge. The finest and oldest piece of old Waterford glass in existence is a chandelier now hanging in the Council Chamber of City Hall. It was originally made for Dublin Castle in 1787 and was returned to Waterford in the 1830s.

Waterford Civic Trust has installed numerous Blue Plaques in the city to commemorate a link between a particular location and a famous person or event.

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The Zenith of Wexford Port

At the turn of the century in around 1798, Wexford entered an age of expansion. The port was about to reach its zenith, with hundred of ships trading with lands in Africa, the Black Sea and the United States of America. Trade increases led to the growth of industries ranging from whiskey distilling to the manufacture of agricultural machinery. The population grew steadily and many new streets were constructed, while in 1851, work began on the elegant twin Churches which were to dominate the skyline.

It was also in 1800's that many of to-days important buildings were constructed, St. Peters College in 1819 to the Mechanics Institute in 1849 and the Tate School now the Municipal Buildings, in 1867. The railway reached Wexford in 1870 and was continued along the quay front by 1882. In the early years of this century, Wexford agricultural machinery companies operated branch offices in cities such as Paris and Buenos Aires.

For more info about Wexford and its history log on to wexfordweb.ie.

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Profile of Carlow

Although a small county, Carlow is a vibrant place. It contains many sites of great historical interest, including the famous Browne's Hill Dolmen, which has the largest capstone in Europe at approximately 100 tonnes in weight.

Carlow is a rich agricultural county in which tillage, sheep and dairy farming are all found. Crops grown include barley, wheat, potatoes and soft fruits. Sugar beet was also widely cultivated for many years because of the sugar processing industry in Carlow town.

Carlow has a growing industrial base. Since the 1970s, international companies such as Braun, now Braun Oral B (personal care products), and Läpple (which makes parts for the auto industry), have been established in the county. Other industries include meat processing, agricultural engineering and market gardening.

Carlow is situated in the province of Leinster, in the South-East of Ireland. It lies inland and has no coastline. Carlow is the second-smallest county in Ireland, measuring just 896 square kilometres in area. It is bordered by five other counties: Laois, Kildare, Wicklow, Wexford and Kilkenny.

The town of Carlow is the largest in the county and is home to around 40% of Co. Carlow's population. Other towns are Bagenalstown (Muine Bheag), Borris, Hacketstown, Leighlinbridge, Rathvilly and Tullow.

The number of people living in Carlow increased steadily throughout the twentieth century. According to the Preliminary Report of the Census of 2006, the total population of Carlow is now 50,471. In 1926, there were only 34,476 inhabitants. The Census of 2002 showed the population to be 41,616.

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Waterford Watercolours: The Granville Hotel

Residence of the Quans and Meaghers, families who made their fortune in the provision trade between Waterford and Newfoundland. Thomas Meagher became in 1843 the first Catholic mayor of Waterford since the Reformation and his son Thomas Francis Meagher, republican leader in 1848 and a general in the American Civil War, was born here in 1823. The house was bought by the stage-coach impresario Charles Bianconi, and as Cummins Hotel became an important terminus in his coaching network.

This painting is part of a collection of watercolours of Waterford by local artist John O'Regan, commissioned by Waterford Civic Trust and sponsored by local bodies and companies. This particular painting was sponsored by the Granville Hotel.

The watercolours were published in a diary for 1992,'93 and '94 after which they were donated to the municipal art collection of Waterford City Council.

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SLNIW: Sustainable Learning Networks in Ireland and Wales

SLNIW is an INTERREG 4A funded project. This exciting and innovative research is being undertaken by CEDRE, WIT in partnership with the School of Management and Business, Aberystwyth University, Wales.

The SLNIW project is for entrepreneurs and owner/managers of Small to Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) in South East Ireland and West Wales. The project aims to increase the skill sets of these entrepreneurs by facilitating knowledge transfer between participants within the network.

The primary goal of the project is to increase the competitiveness, creativity and innovation capacities and capabilities of SMEs and micro-enterprises in South East Ireland and West Wales through innovative and creative processes. This goal will be achieved through creating and developing learning networks in South East Ireland and West Wales. The SLNIW project therefore is unique and innovative in that it focuses on assisting members of these networks identify and analyse training needs for themselves, their enterprises and staff.

This project is equally unique in that it proposes to teach network members how to direct their own learning and teaching methods to achieve business growth, expansion and long term sustainability through innovation, and innovative processes. The SLNIW project presents a new process and paradigm to transfer knowledge between knowledge experts and SMEs/micro-enterprises.

For more information log on to the SLNIW website.

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