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In 1892 Mary Montgomery, wife of the local landowner in Fivemiletown, founded an art metalwork industry to provide employment for local boys and young men. The designers included Mary’s husband, Hugh de Fellenberg Montgomery and John Williams, an art teacher from England. The work, mainly in copper and brass, won numerous awards at exhibitions and was purchased by Queen Victoria, the Duke of York and the Princess of Wales. A pair of copper jugs in the Museum’s collection is a very good example of this successful, although short-lived, industry.

Belleek Pottery, established in 1857 by John Caldwell Bloomfield of Castle Caldwell to give employment in the area, is still a thriving concern. The Museum has on display a representative collection of Belleek ware, porcelain figures, vases, and table ware, delicate basketwork, a wide range of earthenware pieces for the home market, including simple sponge-decorated mugs and bowls, and a very unusual terracotta water cooler.

Also on view is a bust of Gladstone displayed beside a less flattering image of the 19th century prime minister, printed on the bottom inside of a small chamber pot. These chamber pots were produced to sell to Irish landlords who did not welcome the land reforms introduced by Gladstone.

The Belleek Pottery, from the beginning, exported porcelain to North America and later to continental Europe, India and Australia. It won prizes at international exhibitions and was purchased by Queen Victoria and members of the nobility.