Volume 24 Number 3 , 2013

M F e r r o r m y B C C h I r S i s & t m t a h s e

t P o o t A t l e l r y From the President

Dear Collector; As the year draws to a close, its time to think about the good memories that we have made this year. The good byes and hellos we have said and be thankful for both! Belleek has a new selection of ornaments for 2013 and I hope at least one will speak to you and join your collection, whether you are starting a new one or adding to an existing one. A wonderful time was had by all who attended our final convention in Las Vegas, but we hope to have future gathering in the months and years to come. We are part of the large family of Belleek and we reach around the globe. You never know where you will meet a fellow Belleeker! To you and your family I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year! Babys First Christmas 2013 Angela Belleek Baby Angela Moore President, Belleek Collectors International Society Ornaments

Baby gifts from Belleek for 2013 from Belleek, include The Belleek Collectors International Society two adorable ornaments. Belleek Pottery, Main Street, Belleek, My daughter is expecting a Christmas baby, so I'm excited Co. Fermanagh N. Ireland BT93 3FY about becoming a grandmother [e-mail [email protected]] for the second time! I definitely want the Baby's First Christmas Teddy Bear Bell Ornament #4115, just like the one I had for Hostess Gifts for the Season the older sister who joined us in 2011. With lots of visiting this holiday season, the perfect hostess gift would be the very pretty Belleek House Blessing Wreath #2292. But the big sister won't be Larger than the standard ornament, this piece can still be hung on the Christmas left out as she will have her own tree. However the beauty of it is, that its not just a Christmas Wreath. The ribbon Belleek Baby Frame Hanging is a beautiful Belleek cream color and will work any time of the year, hung in Ornament # 4123 a window or a wall. The shamrocks speak of spring and St. Patrick's Day or to remind of your Irish roots.

The great little Belleek Snowflake Votive #4118, is another pretty little hostess gift. The little pierce pot will allow the candle light to shine through. This piece is alsi quite versatile and could easily be filled with potpourri. The hand painted gold stars make this piece really

Pictured at left, Snowflake Votive and at right, House Blessing Baby Frame Ornament Wreath To order ,please contact Patricia McCauley at [email protected] or visit our website at www.belleek.com at

2 Blarney Castle Ornament Bell Blarney Castle, as viewed today- photo at left, is the third to have been erected on this site. The first building in the tenth century was a wooden structure. Around 1210 A.D. this was replaced by a stone structure which had the entrance some twenty feet above the ground on the north face. This building was demolished for foundations. In 1446 the third castle was built by Dermot McCarthy, King of Munster of which the keep still remains standing. The lower walls are fifteen feet, built with an angle tower by the McCarthys of Muskerry. It was subsequently occupied at one time by Cormac McCarthy, King of Munster, who is said to have supplied four thousand men from Munster to supplement the forces of Robert the Bruce at the battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Legend has it that the latter king gave half of the Stone of Scone to McCarthy in gratitude. This, now known as the Blarney Stone, was incorporated in the battle- ments where it can now be kissed. Blarney Castle, Cork The Belleek Blarney Castle Bell #4122, (pictured at Left) is the seventh in the Castle Bell Series. Visitors to Ireland often make their way towards Cork and just outside the city is the famous castle. This beautiful Belleek Bell Castle Ornament is certainly of one of the most recognized sites because it house the famous Blarney stone. If you never kissed the Blarney Stone, then gift yourself with a wonderful ornament of the castle its in, for your Christmas tree

The Stone of Eloquence For over 200 years, world statesmen, literary giants, and legends of the silver screen have joined the millions of pilgrims climbing the steps to kiss the Blarney Stone and gain the gift of eloquence. Its powers are unquestioned but its story still creates debate. Kissing the Blarney Stone Blarney Castle Bell Getting the gift of the Gab Once upon a time, visitors had to be held by the ankles and lowered head first over the battlements. Today, we are rather more cautious of the safety of our visitors. The Stone itself is still set in the wall below the battlements. To kiss it, one has to lean backwards (holding on to an iron railing) from the parapet walk. The prize is a real one as once kissed the stone bestows the gift of eloquence. Kilmalkedar Church Bell Ornament Kilmalkedar is a mid 12th century romanesque church situated near the tip of the Dingle peninsula overlooking Smerwick harbour. (Pictured at right)The church is similar to Cormac's chapel at Cashel built of dressed sandstone blocks. The church has some native Irish features such as stone antae projecting at the end of the church. It is a nave and chancel church. The west doorway is a classic round arched romanesque doorway. (Picture below)The chancel is separated from the nave with a decorated entrance to the church and a surviving chancel arch. In the grounds of the graveyard surrounding the church at Kilmalkedar there are several other monuments, including a sundial and alphabet stone. The Saint's Road, a medieval pilgrimage route to Mount Brandon passes by the Kilmalkedar Church Bell church. The Belleek Kilmalkedar Church Bell Ornament #4112, faithfully reproduces the style of the 12th century church, which would have had a stone roof. Its romanesque door is also beautifully detailed on this bell. It will look really spectacular lit from within by a Christmas tree light. This is the newest in the Church Bell series of ornaments. To order these ornaments, please contact Patricia McCauley at [email protected] or visit our website www.belleek.com Romanesque Door Kilmalkedar Church, Kerry 3 BCIS Convention 2013 , Las Vegas, NV

The October 2013 Belleek Convention in Las Vegas, saw many firsts and lasts. It was the last of the biennial conventions hosted by our chapters and it is the last time we will choose a Belleek Honoree. We did promise that this convention would be a special one and that we'd go out with a bang. So for the very first time, we named 150 Honorees to our Belleek Hall of Fame!!! While there will be no future Honorees, by our counting, we have one a year for the next 150 years! Included in this special group are no less than nine of our Honorees from pervious years, who may now consider themselves "Double Honorees". Over the last ten plus years, many of the members attending our last convention had also been to many others. These folks include former Chapter presidents, individuals who have worked on pervious conventions and many whose family members have been involved with our collectors group for years and they are following in their footsteps! Every single person named to our 2013 Hall of Fame is well deserving of this honor and recognition. The most difficult part was keeping it a secret until the convention and we have no doubt that it was a surprise to all who attended. Above is a group photo, but you may go to the Belleek Face Book page to see individual photos. The convention program kicked off with a trip down the Memory Lane of Conventions by our M.C. Don Campbell (Honoree 2001 & 2013). As always, Don did a wonderful job pushing us along and keeping everyone on track and on time. The lectures during this convention were among the best so far and perhaps in future issues we can bring you a synopsis of each. Chris Marvel (Honoree 2013) told us his Shaggy Dragon Story and at this point all I can say is, it has to be seen to be believed! Chris was the photographer at the Gala dinner, aided and abetted by Paul and Patrick Tubb, who told us he really was a shy one - something else not to be believed.

Can I say that Chris was matched by his wife's, Beverly Marvel (Honoree 2013), lecture on Belleek Cooper Printing Plates. Beverly made the discovery that a rather amateur looking Belleek black mark stamp, always thought to be a fake, was actually produced at Belleek. I am looking forward to sharing Beverly's photos and information on that in a future issue too. Perhaps Beverly will make it the subject of a future book. At the convention Beverly debuted her new book, co-authored by Tony Fox, also of the UK Collector's Group - "Belleek Black Mark Tea Ware" (Photographed below) Generously, Beverly and Chris gifted a book to each and every member at the convention, as what turned out to be an Honoree Gift. Perhaps Beverly and Tony could be persauded to reprint some additional copies of the book for sale to interested members? We will get back to you on that one. Dr. Linda Beard (Honoree 1999) gave a great update on the Belleek Collector Richard Degenhardt Scholarship. This included a musical presentation from a former recipient and a thank you from a current one. We will continue to support and follow Linda each year in the Belleek Collector, as she continues her work of the foundation she created to honor Richard Degenhardt and our members. Fergus Cleary, Belleek Head of Design, discussed the intricacies of designing a new tea cup patterns and shapes. Fergus invited everyone to try their hand at creating a teacup or mug design, he promised that the designs submitted might even end up on a future Belleek item. At the end of the convention Fergus had narrowed down the designs submitted to a half dozen, which he planned to take back to the Pottery to further investigate for possible use. We will let you know in an upcoming issue of the Belleek Collector Magazine and on the Belleek Face Book page. Chris & Beverly Marvel 4 Introducing The Belleek Hall of Fame 2013 Honorees

The wonderful lectures continued with a presentation by Lauresa Stillwell of her late mother's collection. We laughed and cried with Lauresa as she shared snap shots and stories about the wonderful Liz Stillwell, dealer and collector extradonnaire. Final lecture of the convention was given by Eddie Murphy(Honoree 2013) of the UK Collectors Group. Eddie has a wonderful personal collection of Lithopanes that he collected over the years and has thoroughly researched. He and Don Campbell sparred over several lithopanes slides that each had Honorees from previous years, L-R; Sharon Pickerill ('99), Del Domke ('95), Brianne bid on at auctions. But as Dean Bagnal would say, Carter ('11/12), Linda Beard ('99), Katherine Gaertner ('97), Don Campbell ('01), "there are no such things as friends as auctions"! Pat Holm ('98), Phyllis Bagnall ('02) and Dorothy Wheeler ('03). And speaking of Dean Bagnal (Honoree 2013) we have to add our thanks to him for making each and every auction fun over these last 10 years. We couldn't have done it without Dean and his super supportive wife Phyllis (Honoree 2002 & 2013).

This, our last convention would not have happened without the tireless efforts of co-chairs, Jean Lockington and Johannah Purdon. Also their fellow convention committee members, Melissa Barry Finch, Moira Bailey, Al Purdon, Chris & Bev Marvell, Paul & Pat Tubbs, Don & Gretchen Campbell, Doreen Morgan and Pat Hennessy. To these and the many other volunteers we are truly grateful. You made this a great Dean Bagnall Fergus Cleary convention and you all deserved and earned the title Belleek Honoree 2013. Not to end on a sad note of goodbyes, we have to add that while no further conventions of several days length will be held in the future, that does not preclude other Belleek Gatherings in all parts of the world. We titled this convention "The BCIS Family Gathering 2013" and would hope that like all family gatherings there will be lots of more mini gatherings going down the road. Eddie Murphy Jean Lockington Johannah Purdon 5 Las Vegas Basket

This unique Las Vegas Basket has been specially designed by Claire Rowe for the 2013 Belleek Convention. It is exclusive to Belleek Collectors. The design has been inspired by the theme, “A night in the Casino”.The basket includes a pair of lucky number seven dice, black and red Casino chips, and a suit of playing cards. The yellow and green flowers represent the Sagebrush, the national flower of Nevada and between the dice sits the all important Belleek lucky four leaf clover! The Las Vegas Baskets square shape is 5”L x 5”W x 2”H Each piece has a special back stamp and will be individually numbered in gold. It also includes a Certificate of Authenticity. The basket will only be available until the end of December 2013. You must place an order by Dec.30th. Basket cost is $195 and includes shipping. Baskets will be made to order and shipped early in 2014.. Pictured above is the Las Vegas Convention Plate, shown back and The number one Las Vegas Basket was auctioned at front. We had wanted to share this the Convention to add to the Richard K. Degenhardt pretty plate since, as we would say Foundation fund which gives bursuries to students at Belleek, it is the 11th and last in at the University of Ulster in Ceramic Design and the series. Celtic Studies. The Las Vegas Basket in the photo at left, held by Sharon Pickerill, (Honoree '99) is number one. Sharon was the successful bidder for it. To order your own Las Vegas Basket please contact Patricia McCauley at [email protected] or call at +44 28 686 5801

Belleek Imperial Centerpiece

This piece is called the Imperial Centre and was one of the pieces sent to the Paris Exhibition in 1900. It probably was designed especially for the exhibition along with the International Centrepiece and others. It appears in the 1904 catalogue (priced at 45 Shillings retail ) but was no longer featured in the 1928 Belleek Catalogue. So any examples of this piece will most likely have a Second Period mark. It possibly was discontinued in 1919 when the number production lines were severely reduced after the Belleek Pottery Works Co was sold to new owners be- coming Belleek Pottery Limited It's possible this Imperial Centre is quite rare as it was only produced during a very short time ie 1904 to 1919.

6 Bell Ornament New Ornaments for the 2013 Christmas Season This season we add several new bells to our ornament collection.

For the first time we have a Lady Snowman or should we say Snow-woman? We have named her Snow Lady and she is very pretty, of course as with all the snowmen ornaments she has her own lucky shamrock! The Belleek Star Bauble Ornament has an unusual shape and with its hand painted outlined stars it will add some elegance to your Christmas tree. The more traditional round shaped bauble, the Belleek Berry Leaf Bauble has an intricate relief of leaves and is has hand painted gilted rings top and bottom. St. Kierans Cross is a beautiful Celtic Cross with cetlic designs and a sprig of hand painted shamrocks. A lovely addition to your tree you can also hang it by your window year round as a reminder of your faith and Celtic roots.

Haulbowline is a main sea light and also serves to guide vessels from seaward through the entrance channel into . It is on the North Eastern side of Ireland and located in a channel between and the Republic of Ireland. It is built on a wave-washed rock, exposed only at low tide. The lighthouse was built after a request was made in 1817 by the merchants of Newry to replace the 1803 Lighthouse due to the latter's poor position in marking the dangerous rocks at the entrance to Carlingford Lough and also its inadequacy for the guiding of vessels at the west end of the Lough. The cut stone tower of Haulbowline Lighthouse was designed by George Halpin Sr. Its overall height is 112 feet. Building this tower on a semi-submerged rock with fast currents running around it was a remarkable achievement at the time and a fixed white light was first exhibited on 1 September 1824. The tower was painted white and remained so until 1946 when it was Star Bauble Ornament #4119 changed to its natural stone colour. Snow Lady Bell Ornament # 4120 From 1824 until 1922 the Keepers and their families lived in the Cranfield Point Lighthouse dwelling until after the light was automated. In 1995 the lighthouse was completely re-equipped. The Belleek Haulbowline Lighthouse Ornament Bell #4121 is the twelveth in the Lighthouse Bell series. This wonderful piece replicates this old lighthouse. However you can note that because it is a bell ornament, the base must be wider. But let your eye follow the upper shape and the raised detail of the stone work. Its tuly a beautifully handcrafted piece. Ireland is an island and the are an extremely important part of daily life and have been for the past few centuries. When you visit Ireland be sure to look out for the many dotted along the coasts. This beautiful bell will be a fabulous addition to your Christmas ornament collection and a wonderful gift for the sailors or wannabe sailors in the family. Berryleaf Bauble Ornament #4117 St. Kieran's Cross #3517 7 A few more photos fron the 2013 Convention

Saturday morning, Honorees 2013 listening to Del Domke (Honoree"95) give his pre- sentation on Belleek Armorials

Belleek Honourees 2013 Pat Tubb, Patrick Tubb from the UK Collectors Group & Mary Oleksak The Gathering 2013 from upstate New York at Belleek Pottery

Kathleen O'Connor (Honoree 2013) with Earthenware Plate at auction

One of the many beautiful Belleek items Belleek Honorees 2013, Pauline Corcoran for purchase in the Sales Room and her mum Kay Corcoran preparing the gift packages for the delegates

As part of the Gathering 2013, celebrated all over Ireland, and at the Belleek Pottery in August 2013,as mentioned in the last issue of the Belleek Collector. We just had to share the beautiful cake created on the day. It was an oversized cake to share with the many visitors on the day. Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year The souvenir ornament is still available at www.belleek.com From All of us BCIS 8