A STORY told through photographs, celebrating 160 years of Belleek Pottery, was launched at the firm’s picturesque headquarters on Friday morning.
‘ONE SIXTY, a collection of moments and memories in Belleek Pottery’s history’, features 160 photographs, all telling the story of the industrial hub and the people who have helped the business to grow and develop into the global success that it is today.
At a special reception, held in the Collectors Room of Belleek Pottery on Friday, the Fermanagh man at the helm of the business, John Maguire, paid tribute to the company’s founders and their vision to create something special from the local natural resources in Belleek.
“In 1857, as Ireland was emerging from the great famine, people were looking for ways to survive,” he said. 
“John Caldwell Bloomfield a local landlord identified an opportunity to create pottery from the raw materials available on his estate, creating employment and a sustainable community.
“Fast forward 160 years and today we have a thriving business that crosses two key sectors, manufacturing and tourism, continuing to deliver Bloomfield’s vision,” added Mr Maguire.
Mr. Maguire told guests that the standards set in 1857 had stood the business in good stead over the last 16 decades and are still important to the firm today.
He reflected on the journey to reach the 160 year milestone.
“The journey to get to this 160th year has been filled with countless successes including the acquisitions of Galway Crystal and Aynsley as well as the development of four Belleek Living Stores which are located across Northern Ireland,” he said, “The pottery has over the decades faced economic and political turbulence too but has remained a stalwart in the business landscape of Fermanagh.”
As a fitting tribute to staff past and present, Pat Keown, the company’s longest serving employee, had the honour of cutting the ribbon to officially launch ONE SIXTY.
“I live just two miles from here, I have lived here all my life,” he told the Impartial Reporter.
“I started working here in 1970 when I was 16 years old and five months!
“I had left school the previous December.
“There was no interview for the job. I just walked in the door and asked for work. I was told: “You will get a job in a few months’ time.
“So I started working as a parian maker and I have never looked back since. I had a few months’ training and that was me.
“I will be working here 47 years at the end of August.”
Having worked for Belleek since graduating from university in 1987, Mr. Maguire feels a personal sense of pride in Belleek’s 160th milestone too.
“We have welcomed millions of visitors over the years”, he said, “The pottery continues to be an important feature on many tour operator programmes and our export activity spans the five continents.
“Over the years we have welcomed celebrities, royalty, religious leaders and prominent politicians. Belleek China can be found in the most prestigious houses of Ireland, UK, mainland Europe, China, Australia and in our strongest export market, America.
“With its growing popularity, the Pottery has developed a thriving Collectors Society which spans the globe. The keenest of our collectors is in possession of 7,500 pieces of Belleek China!”
And looking to the future, Belleek Pottery has just launched a new website platform.
Working in partnership with Export Technologies, it is launching a new e-commerce site with a joint investment of around £200,000 over the next two years.
The collaboration will see Belleek use Export’s bespoke e-commerce platform, called the IRP, along with its digital marketing consultancy services – both of which are hoped will significantly increase sales to the lucrative US market.
The new site, Belleek.com will now carry a range of additional brands such as Galway Crystal, Galway Living, Aynsley China and Belleek Living Jewellery.  Belleek’s Classic and Living product ranges will still feature heavily, but it is thought that the new Crystal ranges will have a big impact on online sales.
“We are investing online,” said Mr. Maguire, “Online at present represents 20 per cent of our business. We feel that over the next two to three years it has the potential to reach 30 per cent. 
“It is an important channel of distribution.”
Although export sales are looking favourable, along with visitor numbers this year, Mr. Maguire says there are concerns surrounding the uncertainty of Brexit.
“However we cannot let this hinder how we do business now, as we cannot predict what the future will bring,” he adds.
Mr. Maguire estimates that over 16 decades Belleek Pottery has been responsible for employing thousands of people. 
“We believe we have produced millions of pieces of pottery since 1857. We have a great story to tell and we are really delighted to be celebrating our 160th anniversary.”
Besides the ONE SIXTY exhibition, Belleek Pottery has also launched ‘The Archive Collection’ this year -- a product celebration of the anniversary.
“Our final legacy project is our ONE SIXTY Exhibition which will be a permanent installation in our visitor centre,” Mr. Maguire explained. 
“The story is told through photographs and we are delighted with the response we received from people across the community who contributed so many images to make this exhibition possible.
“We estimate 500 photos have been sourced through our own archives and those given by local people. 
“In particular, Joe O’Loughlin and John Cunningham have been exceptionally generous with their time, knowledge and supply of images.
“It has been quite a task to decide on the 160 to be placed on the wall, so we hope we have done the Belleek Story the justice it deserves.
“ONE SIXTY showcases the people, scenery and industrial heritage of the Pottery. We have gathered photos showing the many, many faces that have worked in the pottery over the years, including an early 1900’s staff photo.
“Our aim with ONE SIXTY is to keep this as a permanent exhibition feature adding to the visitor experience. 
“However, we want this exhibition to continue to evolve and change so will welcome any additional images people discover so that by the time we get to 2027, our collection will have morphed into a completely different visual experience.
“Of course the Belleek Pottery story continues to live on through the people who work here, our customers and visitors for without them we would not be here to celebrate this special anniversary,”he concluded.