Connemara marble is world famous. It is quarried just outside the city, in a quarry owned by the owners of the marble shop we visited.
We got a full demonstration as to how marble is turned into beautiful things.
Here’s the owner doing the demonstration of how the stone is milled and drilled and polished. The owner’s name is Ambrose Joyce, presumably no relation to James.
Marble comes in many different sizes, shapes, and colors and sometimes is even multi-colored. Some marble has ancient fossils in it. My wife bought a broach with just such marble.
Here’s a shot of the quarry itself…
Here are some of the finished broaches.
I mentioned this stuff is world famous. How about making crosses for and blessed by a Pope—
If you’re not into something that marbleous, how about a genuine blackthorn, polished walking stick.
Either way, you can’t go wrong with a trip to Connemara. It’s fascinating.