End of an era as the doors close at Dairygold Co-op’s Muskerry branch
In October 2017, Dairygold Co-Op announced a store investment plan for a modern retail business.
It included a review identifying stores the company felt were not viable into the future. The Co-Op store in Cloughduv (the Muskerry branch) was deemed to be one, and on Friday, October 19, the branch ceased trading.
Store manager Donald O’Leary has a long association with Dairygold. On his final day in Cloughduv, he spoke to me about the branch, what the closure means and what the future holds, in this predominately dairying area.
“I started working in the mill here back in 1971. It was one of the first mills in the country to manufacture feed nuts. The feed from here was supplied to customers all over the south. It was a very modern mill for the time, and was a very busy one too.
“In addition, the yard here was also home to six or seven milk lorries. At its peak, you would have had about 60 people working here.”
The mill closed some years later, and Dairygold privatised its transport division back in 2004-05.
Donald moved to the Coachford branch in 1988, returning to Cloughduv as branch manager in 1996.
“We have had a wonderful working relationship here with our customers over the years, and I would like to thank them for their support, loyalty and for their friendship.”
Donald recalls Mary Murphy of Lissarda (now living in Timoleague) who worked in the office for 44 years, and retired just four years ago. He also mentioned former Muskerry branch manager Michael Calnan of Crookstown.
“It has been an absolute pleasure working with such people.”
Donald also had high praise for the current staff, Dave O’Reilly had been with the branch for 10 years, and Ann O’Riordan worked in Cloughduv for four years.
“We made a great team.”
Donald has had great support from the co-op during tough times.
“Dairygold have been a very good employer, and were very supportive to me a number of years ago when I faced a serious illness.”
Of course, the closure is replicated right across rural Ireland, as once thriving rural villages and towns shrink, with the co-op often the last to go, after pubs, post offices and shops.
As the curtain comes down on Cloughduv Co-op, it’s a sad occasion, as a place filled with memories becomes a memory itself.
“We will of course miss the connection that this place had with the customers. The customers who came here to do business but also came for a chat, we will miss the social side of it,” said Donald O’Leary.
“While I thank our customers for the loyalty, I hope they will follow us to the neighbouring branches where the connections and friendships we built up can continue into the future.”
As a customer of the branch, I want to thank Donald and his staff in Cloughduv for their help, guidance and friendship over the years.
Farming and indeed life can be a tough business, and the person behind the counter in a place like Cloughduv can often times be called upon to do a lot more than issue a yard docket. From a social worker, to mediator, to comedian, it’s a job that demands a certain skill set, and the Cloughduv team were never found wanting in any department.
I found there was always a welcome, a helping hand, a listening ear and a witty comment in Cloughduv.
