US President Joe Biden received a traditional Shamrock Bowl made by Waterford's Criostal na Rinne in an historic virtual presentation as part of the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations at the White House yesterday.
The beautiful crystal bowl was made in An Rinn by Eamonn Terry, a master craftsman glass cutter with over 50 year's experience.
The traditional shamrock presentation ceremony stretches back almost 70 years. This was the first occasion that the Shamrock Bowl was presented via a virtual ceremony, with An Taoiseach Micheál Martin making a live address to the White House from Government buildings in Dublin.
This year the Taoiseach’s office selected the award-winning hand cut crystal craft business, Criostal na Rinne, based in the Waterford Gaeltacht of An Rinn, to make this special handmade piece. Eamonn Terry, owner and founder of Criostal na Rinne says the inspiration behind his design "are hope, history and the special relationship between Ireland and the United States.”
The design of the bowl is divided into several parts. Central to the design is a panel with the customary engraved inscription. On either side of the inscription, there are two panels with deep interlaced cutting which represent the shared history between Ireland and the United States. Deep flowing cuts in the crystal, reminiscent of the sea, join the panels on the bowl together. This represents Ireland as an island at the centre of the world and its connectivity with every corner of the globe, particularly the United States; through its diaspora, its shared values and interests. Finally at the top of the bowl four rosettes represent rising hope and ‘new life at its term’- a reference to the written word of Poet Seamus Heaney often quoted by President Biden.
Speaking about his craft, Eamonn said, “I wanted to showcase our local craft traditions in hand cut crystal by drawing on these themes that have a unique significance for Ireland and its special relationship with the United States. I hope when people see the virtual presentation ceremony of the shamrock bowl they will make their own visit to the studio after the pandemic or visit our website, and experience for themselves a demonstration of the craftsmanship that goes into making hand cut crystal”.
After learning his trade in Waterford Crystal, where he rose to the position of master craftsman glass cutter, Eamonn founded Criostal na Rinne in 1987. He is no stranger to making one-off commissions of this kind, having made crystal pieces that have been presented to numerous Heads of State and other dignitaries, including for the 2017 shamrock ceremony presented to former President Donald Trump.
