Changing times in Sliabh Luachra farming reflected in latest journal

THE changes that have occurred in farming over the past 30 years have been graphically highlighted in the latest issue of the Sliabh Luachra Journal.

Pat Joe Brosnan recalls how Gullane Creamery in East Kerry, which opened in 1926 and closed in 1978, played an important role in the lives of the people. He claims you could set your clock by watching out for certain farmers on their way to the creamery each morning.

Children going to school in Gneeveguilla would know if they were early, or late, when they met one of the “three Dennys” on the way.

“If you met Denny Con Andy Moynihan with his donkey and cart you were usually early. Denny’s greeting invariably was, ‘how are the scamps today?’

“If you met Deenyo Gleeson, from Mausrour, you were right on time. However, if you met Denny Dennehy, also from Mausrour, you were definitely late, as Denny always passed by after 9.30am.”

Rural creameries have long since been replaced by big refrigerated trucks that collect milk from farms, but many of the small farmers that supplied Gullane and countless other creameries have long since ceased producing milk. Pat Joe recalls the pivotal role the creamery once played in rural life, describing it as a place of important social interaction for its suppliers.

It was a great source of local news. The weather, deaths, football matches and the latest mart prices were all topics of conversation.

Irish Examiner journalist Donal Hickey, editor of the journal, writes that the country was changing rapidly when Gullane Creamery closed.

“A better educated generation started to eschew farming, opting for employment that offered a regular income, fixed working hours, holidays and other inducements.

“They didn’t want to be committed to milking cows seven mornings and evenings a week. As the five-day cow has yet to be invented, that situation is unlikely to change.”

Bart Cronin, former head of the Government Information Service, and a native of Tureencahill, launched the 124-page Cumann Luachra-published journal in Gneeveguilla Community Centre.