Tyrone’s Irish-Made Crystal Leaves Budgets Intact

While the refrains of “Danny Boy” or “Galway Bay” are still wafting through your mind, how about some crystal stemware for that Irish coffee? There’s a little bit of the Old Sod out in Thousand Oaks that sure will steal your heart away and leave your budget intact.

The Irish Crystal Co. has an inventory of crystal products from the Tyrone Crystal Co., which is just outside a small Northern Ireland town called Dungannon. This is the only crystal company where all the product is made from start to finish in Ireland. Most crystal today comes from Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Germany.

I visited the factory in Dungannon a few years ago and spent an afternoon watching the craftsmen make several pieces of this lovely hand-blown crystal. The finished product is superb in clarity and brilliance. It looks like Waterford, is made in many of the same patterns as Waterford (many patterns are public domain), has the same material content and weight as Waterford, but doesn’t cost as much.

When I am giving a lecture, I will sometimes show a Tyrone wine decanter alongside a Waterford decanter. When I ask the audience to vote on which one is the Waterford, 95% think that the Tyrone is Waterford and are delighted to learn that the piece they like best is the best bargain. The only thing that’s missing is the little green Waterford emblem, which beats a lot of green missing from the wallet.

Tyrone’s crystal eggs come in several different designs. One that I have seen by Waterford is selling in major specialty boutiques for $110 to $125; the same design in Tyrone crystal is $28. An oversized hock wine goblet is $42, which can bring as much as $125 in Waterford. The Irish Crystal Co. carries all sizes in Tyrone stemware, starting at $22.

A handsome Napoleon mantle clock of crystal runs $65, and I’ve seen a similar design for $165. For a dazzling centerpiece, Tyrone offers its Master Cut pieces, which means that they are made leisurely by a master cutter instead of being mass produced. Pieces of this quality and size bring $600 and up in many stores, but here, the prices start at $250.

When you drop in and meet owner Leonard McDonald or his wife, Pat, you’ll feel for all the world like you’re in Ireland. Their Belfast brogues are thick enough to cut through the blarney, and you’ll want to return just to chat. Many large corporations and country clubs purchase their gifts from McDonald and the Irish Crystal Co., having succumbed not just to the wonderful price tags on the crystal pieces, but to the warmth and charm of the owners.

The Irish Crystal Co., 1655 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. MasterCard/Visa. (805) 496-8363.