Waterford, Ireland

This is a night view of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Waterford.  Built in 1793, it is the oldest Catholic Cathedral in Ireland, and the older churches were converted to the Church of Ireland, the equivalent of the Church of England, after Henry VIII split from the Pope.

The clock tower on the riverfront in Waterford was built in 1861 and is 40 feet high.  I often prefer photos of street scenes taken at night.  Waterford is near the southeast coast and is considered to be Ireland's oldest city, founded by Vikings in 853.

The chandeliers inside the Cathedral were made, naturally, of Waterford Crystal and are of a unique design made especially for the cathedral.

Touring the Waterford Crystal factory is a highpoint of a visit to Waterford.  Sadly, most of the manufacturing is now done in Eastern Europe, but the company that owns Waterford Crystal keeps a visitors' center demonstration factory operating so tourists can view the techniques for making crystal.

Because the factory is oriented for visitors, we could walk very close to the craftsmen in the midst of their precise creations.  The workers would even stop and talk to us about what they were doing.