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 Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.