Waterford Crystal welcomes North Carolina woman as their 1 millionth visitor (PHOTOS)

Photos: The House of Waterford Crystal

The House of Waterford Crystal welcomed their one millionth visitor this week. The lucky tourist was Gladys Aycock, all the way from North Carolina in the United States.

Aycock travelled to Waterford Crystal, while exploring Ireland’s Ancient East, with her family on an escorted tour with Globus Luxury Tours. She was greeted at Waterford Crystal by a VIP reception, attended by the Mayor of Waterford City and County. The 1,000,000th guest then cut her celebratory cake which she shared with visitors at the center from around the world. Her VIP treatment include a personal tour and Aycock even had the opportunity to work with one of the master blowers and cutters.

To mark the milestone, the team at Waterford Crystal manufactured a crystal key. The piece was crafted by Michael Murphy a Master Sculptor at the factory. With this unique crystal key, Gladys will always be a VIP guest of Waterford Crystal.

The House of Waterford Crystal received the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence 2016 and as the number one attraction in Waterford city.

The House of Waterford Crystal has a 2,000 square meter manufacturing facility, supported by an additional 3,000 square meter services factory on the outskirts of Waterford city. The complex includes a 1,000 square meter retail store, containing the largest retail display of Waterford Crystal in the world.

Photos: The House of Waterford Crystal

Cllr Adam Wyse, Mayor of Waterford City and County, said: “It is real pleasure to welcome Gladys to the House of Waterford Crystal and the many other delights that Waterford City has in store for them.

“Waterford as a city has invested significantly in providing visitors with world class facilities at the city’s Viking Triangle attractions including the Bishops Palace and the Medieval Museum. Waterford Crystal plays a significant role promoting awareness of our city both locally and internationally.”

The manufacturing facility at the House of Waterford Crystal melts two tonnes of crystal per day using a new continuous melt tank furnace that has been tailor-made for the House of Waterford Crystal’s specifications. It uses leading edge technology to deliver molten crystal of the highest quality for skilled master blowers to hand-shape and hand-blow Waterford Crystal’s range of premium products

Waterford Crystal continues to provide some of the most prestigious trophies to the world’s great sporting events made at the facility. Some of these events include, the Irish Open Golf Trophy, Solheim Cup (Ladies Ryder Trophy) and The People Choice Awards, to name but a few.