County Limerick family porcelain business closes doors after 61 years

Johanna Saar presenting Nancy Reagan with a figurine on a visit to the White House.

AFTER more than six decades in business, a County Limerick family porcelain business is set to close its doors for the last time.

Irish Dresden, run by managing director Sabina Saar, has been in business in Woodfield, Dromcolliher, County Limerick for the past 61 years. However the family history behind Irish Dresden goes back far further.

The company began in the German State of Thüringen in the early 18th century, and was passed down from generation to generation before finding itself in the capable, creative hands of Sabina – whose father ran the business before her.

The historied company has made a number of presentations to significant figures over the years. In 1963, on a visit to Ireland, Irish Dresden presented a handcrafted figurine to US President John F Kennedy. Just 6 years later, a similar figurine was presented to Eamon De Valera.

On his famed visit to Ireland in 1979, Pope John Paul II also received a handcrafted gift from Irish Dresden, titled “Vienna Waltz”.

Other famous recipients of Irish Dresden’s work include Nancy Reagan, Bill Clonton, Princess Anne, Bertie Ahern, and actress Maureen O’Hara.

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To mark the ending of an era, Irish Dresden are launching a sale to thank loyal customers for generations of kindness and custom.

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