Death of esteemed former Ballyclough boss
He was recognised for playing a significant role in the development and growth of the industry, over 44 years.
Mr Myers, a farmer’s son from Co Limerick, was educated at the Glenroe national school and the Christian Brothers School in Doneraile.
After secondary school, he went to University College Cork, where he qualified in dairy science at the age of 20 in 1938.
He then worked for a year with Shandrum Co-op as a junior assistant, and in 1939, joined Ballyclough Co-op as a branch manager.
John Myers travelled from Newtownshandrum to Mallow on a Friday evening, in Jack Twohill’s hackney, with his bike in the back of the car, to take up his new job.
He and his bike were off again the following Monday in Riordan’s lorry to Carrignavar, where he opened a new Ballyclough branch creamery, in the heart of a district where home-made butter was still being produced on a large scale.
During the following couple of years, he worked at other branches, including Doneraile, before moving to the central creamery in Mallow in November, 1941.
For the remainder of the war years, Mr Myers was mainly involved in production and export of baby food to Cow and Gate in Wincanton.
He often recalled how he was motivated by the exciting challenge of Ballyclough’s pioneering diversification programme, in which he was to play a key role.
Major expansions, amalgamations, modernisations and linkages with other food companies resulted over the years in the co-op becoming a processing giant with enormous benefit to farmers, workers, hauliers and other service providers.
Mr Myers became Ballyclough’s assistant general manager in 1947, a position he held until he succeeded the late PJ Power, a legend in the dairy industry, as chief executive, in 1971.
He had an excellent and close working relationship with Ballyclough’s committee of management under its then chairman John O’Leary and its vice chairman, the late Billy Nagle.
He steered the society into and successfully through the changes and challenges brought about by Ireland’s membership of the EEC.
When he took over as chief executive, Ballyclough’s turnover was of the order of £10 million per annum. In 1982, just before he retired, this had passed the £120m mark, and Ballyclough was listed in the top 30 Irish businesses.
During his 43 years service with the co-op, Mr Myers led and participated in dramatic and eventful events in the history of the Irish dairy industry.
These included the purchase of the Coachford and Terelton branches of the state-owned Dairy Disposal Company in 1972. One of his last major projects was the erection of the new milk powder plant at Macroom in 1979, which is now being upgraded by Danone, with whom Dairygold has important supply contracts.
John retired as chief executive in 1983, but continued to maintain his interest in the dairy industry and farmed up until quite recently.
The respect with which he was held by that industry, which he also served as vice-chairman of Bord Bainne, was reflected in the large numbers at his removal and funeral in Mallow.
Pre-deceased by his wife, Peg (nee Tierney), he is survived by his sons, Patrick, Sean, Kevin and daughter Maura (Warren), son-in-law Johnny, daughters-in-law Sinead, Helen and Maeve, and grandchildren.
A keen cyclist in his younger days, he later became an enthusiastic gardener. He also played golf, was a salmon fisherman, and an experienced beekeeper.
John O’Leary, who was chairman of Ballyclough when Mr Myers retired, wrote on that occasion that the Society had gone from strength to strength under his astute guidance, vision and personal commitment.
“The name of John Myers,” he stated, “will always be writ large in the history of Ballyclough and of the Irish dairy industry. He has set us all an example that will be very hard to live up to, try as we may.”
