TRADES AND OCCUPATIONS

Belleek Pottery
Click here for program sign in pdf format.

Fergus Cleary,
    Belleek, County Fermanagh
John Doogan,
    Belleek, County Fermanagh
Kate Rasdale,
    Belleek County Fermanagh

Belleek's beautiful handcrafted
pottery is one of Northern Ireland's
most distinctive exports and is
valued and treasured by collectors
throughout the world. Now
celebrating is 150th anniversary,
the company has employed
generations of workers in the
small town of Belleek. Among
Belleek's 600 employees are potters
John Doogan, who crafts woven
clay baskets and delicate flowers;
painter Kate Rasdale; and designer
Fergus Cleary. www.belleek.ie

Bushmills Irish Whiskey
Click here for program sign (pdf format).

Michael John Dalzell,
    Customer Services
Gordon Donoghue, Management
Henry Johnston Elliott, Maturation
Kenneth Garvin, Distilling
David Alexander Gault, Transport
Elaine Harrison, Laboratory
William McKeown, Maturation
Shirley Elizabeth McMullan,
    Bottling
Agnes Rainey, Visitor Centre
Jeanette Wilmont, Bottling

Bushmills traces its heritage to
1608, when King James I granted
the County Antrim town a license
to distill whiskey. It has been an
officially registered company since
1784, and many Bushmills families
have worked for the company for
generations. www.bushmills.com

Call Centres/Northbrook Technology
Click here for program sign (pdf format).

Andrew Galvin,
    Strabane, County Tyrone
Joanne Haire,
    Strabane, County Tyrone

Once a major linen manufacturing
center, Strabane was hard hit by
the collapse of Northern Ireland's
textile industry. To address local
unemployment, Northbrook
Technology established a call center
in 1999, in the wake of the Good
Friday Agreement. Ironically,
Strabane is famous for its heavy
regional accents. Trainers Galvin
and Haire will discuss their
jobs, as well as the challenges of
communicating with Americans.

Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries
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David McVeigh,
    Belfast, County Antrim
Ian Ritchie,
    Newtownabby, County Antrim
John Robinson,
    Belfast, County Antrim

Founded in 1861, Belfast's Harland
and Wolff became one of the world's
largest shipyards and a mainstay of
the local economy. Many families
worked for the firm for generations.
Famous for its ships, including
the ill-fated Titanic, the firm still
does ship repair and work for
the offshore oil industry, but it is
increasingly involved in the design
and construction of innovative
sustainable energy projects, such as
offshore wind farms and tide- and
wave-powered generators. David
McVeigh has worked for Harland
and Wolff since he was sixteen.
Ian Ritchie works as a mechanical
fitter, and John Robinson is a
draftsman. www.harland-wolff.com

Thomas Fergusons Irish Linen
Click here for program sign (pdf format).

Nigel Spiers, Gilford,
    Craigavon, County Armagh
Jonathan Neilly,
    Banbridge, County Down

Made from the fibers of the flax
plant, linen was introduced to
Ireland during early Christian
times. In 1854, Thomas Ferguson
founded a linen mill near Banbridge
in County Down. Today, the firm
continues to manufacture highquality
Irish linen in Banbridge,
much of it specially commissioned,
or "bespoken," linens featuring
coats of arms of some of
Europe's most prestigious
families and monograms of
well-known celebrities.
www.fergusonsirishlinen.com

Ulster Carpets
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Philip Holland, Craigavon,
    Portadown, County Armagh
Rodney Smyth,
    Portadown, County Armagh
Louise Stevenson, Ballygowan,
    Newtownards, County Down

Northern Ireland has been famous
for the quality and sophistication
of its weaving since the dawn of
the Industrial Revolution. Ulster
Carpets was founded in Portadown
in 1938 when George Walter
Wilson, concerned about growing
unemployment among local linen
weavers, founded a carpet mill to
harness the skills of County Armagh
textile workers. Still a family-owned
company, Ulster Carpets is one of
the world's largest producers of
custom-woven Axminster-style
carpets. www.ulstercarpets.co.uk