Spread of visitors over 25 years at Butter Museum

TWO former Butter Museum chairmen have received special presentations from the Taoiseach as the Cork museum celebrates 25 years since its establishment.

The Museum, located beside the historical Cork Butter Exchange in Shandon, welcomes and informs visitors about the importance of the butter trade to the City of Cork, the local economy of the surrounding counties of Munster, and its value to the national economy since the 1700s to modern times.

During a visit to mark the anniversary, the Taoiseach made presentations of specially commissioned Butter Stamps, former General Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Michael Dowling and Cobh Dairy Farmer, David Bird — both former chairmen — in recognition of their extraordinary commitment to the development of the Butter Museum over two decades. The butter stamps were created by Cork ceramicist, Karena Killeen.

Since 1997, the Butter Museum has welcomed almost a quarter of a million visitors from home and abroad and attracted positive critiques including the New York Times.

The museum collection ranges from thousand-year-old bog butter, held courtesy of the National Museum of Ireland, to a representative selection of traditional butter making equipment, and also includes a fine collection of co-op butter wrappers from the regional but now consolidated dairy manufacturers.

Video, audio, image and text enhance the visitor’s engagement with the collection and the world of which it speaks.

The Museum is funded by its visitor income and with the support of the Department of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Gaeltacht and Media, Cork City Council, Ornua and Dairygold.

Recreate Shandon Recreate Shandon is a not-for-profit company established by people with links to the Shandon Area to renovate the disused Cork Butter Exchange Building and create a technology hub. Support has been forthcoming from private interests, Cork City Council and Enterprise Ireland.