Madam, - We read with interest the interview with Bianca Davito, who specialises in various glass creations and commissions, in the back page of Business This Weeklast Friday.
In it she states "A lot bigger conservation stained glass jobs are actually being given to English firms because we just don't have the skills here and proper training".
We take issue with this statement which is factually incorrect. We at the Abbey Stained Glass Studios are a third-generation family business and I, as managing director, have taken over from my late father Frank Ryan, who in turn took over from his uncle Tom Ryan. Our studios have been in business for 65 years.
We specialise in the conservation and restoration of stained glass windows in churches throughout Ireland and our studios have on many occasions featured in The Irish Timesworking on such projects.
The impression given in Friday's interview was that major stained glass restoration projects could not be carried out by Irish studios and that English firms are being engaged on these contracts.
Our studios and other reputable Irish companies carry out stained glass conservation and restoration to the highest standards throughout Ireland. - Yours, etc,
KEN RYAN,
Managing Director,
The Abbey Stained Glass Studios,
Old Kilmainham,
Dublin 8.