98. Martin Sharkey: Belleek Pottery

Episode 98 brings Fender Jackson face to face with Martin Sharkey who is the Finance Director of Belleek Pottery and the Belleek Pottery Group.

Conversation includes: Belleek village; the origin story of Belleek; bringing the skills over from England; the link to the famine; David McBirney; first products; transition from earthen ware to parian ware; the checkered history; George G. Moore; Roger Troughton; Powerscreen; Galway Crystal, Aynsley China and Donegal Parian China; George and Angela Moore Charitable Trust; the types of employees; the challenges of Belleek being so remote; current stores; Debenhams; Theresa May; Brexit; the security involved with high profile guests; the most westerly part of the UK; King/Prince Charles; Aonghus O’Flaherty in Tig Choili’s, Galway; the non sectarian appeal of Belleek; being a border town; attracting tourists; being on The Wild Atlantic Way; Patricia McCauley; 11% of Americans being of Irish descent; Tiger Woods; JP McManus; Rory McElroy; Lough Erne Golf Course; Ronald Reagan; Bill Clinton; Mary McAleese; Yeats; Galway; Killarney; Titanic; the different bus routes; ideal amount of time for your duration; personalising your own piece; (not) selling seconds; 7-8% of loss rate; 4 different quality checks; timing your piece by the stamps; having a smashing time; items and fashion; new designs; luminaries; (not) automating the production processes; the fine line of making profit; the Covid effect; the costs of the current shops; parking in town; the shrinking middle market; the complication of big ticket items; (not) fixing broken items; the reduced carbon footprint; the renovation; the big warehouse and other topics.

Face to face recording in Belleek Pottery, Belleek, County Fermanagh at approximately 2.04pm on Thursday 22nd August 2024.

Relevant Links

www.belleek.com

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