They are not technically glaziers, but there is little that the three Donnelly women who run Capital Glass in Dublin, along with operations manager John Smitten, don’t know about glass.
Sitting with managing director Therese Dowling and her daughters Janet and Joanne, in their shop in Clanbrassil Street, it is hard not to be impressed by their specialist and exhaustive knowledge of all types of glass and its modern applications.
The shop is choc-a-bloc with household examples, from etched and stained glass panels to brilliant cut, sandblasted or bevelled mirrors in plain or more ornate frames.
“We stock all types of glass, from picture frames to replacement fridge glass,” says Therese, who grew up in a family of glaziers and who set up the company in 1981.
Janet outlines their many other architectural services, such as supplying splash backs, doors, balconies, shower doors, table tops and shelving. “Nowadays so much glass is used both inside and out, because people want to create more light, more colour or illusory effects of space and depth. They may want to upgrade to more energy efficient glazing or more decorative styling,” she says.
Antiqued glass mirrors are particularly popular at the moment, even used as edging on fireplaces or on table tops. For gardens, more durable acrylic glass can create interesting optical effects.
Their work is visible all over the city, from the Central Bank and the Radisson Hotel group, to the Simon Community, bookies Paddy Power and Hacketts, and innumerable private houses.
Most recently, they installed glass partitions in the bar and restaurant at the Hilton hotel in Kilmainham. Going back in time, Therese remembers the installation of toughened class mirrors in the Pod nightclub, and a huge pane of glass, 4.7x2.5 metres, in Talbot Street.
The coloured glass stairway in Breretons Jewellers on Grafton Street, the mirrors in the Trocadero and the curved glass (called benders) in Boodles jewellers are more recent projects.
“We work with the client, with the architect and with the designer, and what the architect envisages and what the designer thinks is going to look good aren’t always the same,” says Janet.
Glaziers have a four-year apprenticeship learning how to cut and fit glass. John Smitten, who has been with the company for 27 years, is married to Janet, who says he is “magic” at cutting glass. She shows a circular panel with a maritime motif in “wispy”, “water” and “English muffle glass”, technical names for the different decorative stained glass effects, that he has designed for a house in Clontarf.
Vandalism
Apart from basic tools such as hammers, chisels, measuring tapes and knives, modern instruments such as dual suction cups and pump action suckers are used to lift larger pieces.
“We had a pane of glass once that weighed 300kg and it took eight glaziers with a crane to lift it into Patrick Guilbaud’s apartment in Smithfield Market – we had to carry the glass right over the roof of the building because there was no other access,” Smitten recalls.
Repairing smashed or broken panes from vandalism and burglaries is another regular aspect of their work. “Some thieves are now removing slips out of the window and not breaking the glass. That happens when glazing has been done from the outside,” explains Joanne.
The company can upgrade broken panes with toughened glass that offers more strength and protection, while some security screens are fitted with multi-laminated Anti-Bandit glass – “though it’s not bullet proof” says Janet.
Therese reflects that glazing isn’t “scary any more”, and has developed from being a hazardous occupation with the advent of lamination and toughened glass, along with new safety regulations. The company has won safety awards from the CRM (Construction Risk Management) three times, including last year, and adheres to strict fire and safety standards.
“Insurance is massive for glaziers and is very important for your customers. You do not get big jobs without all the documentation being in order, and you can’t even enter a building site without them. You must have a safety pass,” Janet says.
Much of the work at heights is done with telescopic boom lifts or what’s called MEWP (mobile elevated working platforms), and risk assessments are regularly carried out before working on such buildings. “Architects sometimes don’t think about what happens when something breaks in a sixth floor penthouse,” she says.
Boom years
As a female family team, many customers come to them “because we are women and get things done”. They are amused by older customers who occasionally ask to speak to “the manager”.
During the boom years, according to Therese, the company “didn’t go with the builders; we went the way of design and didn’t do a lot of site work, but preferred working with designers, architects and the general customer”, an approach which has stood in their stead during the recession period.
“When we get a customer, we hold on to them. We like people.” Capital Glass, 61a/62 Lr Clanbrassil Street, Leonard’s Corner, Dublin 8
