Covid-19 leaves family’s ice cream cafe out in the cold
There are nine tyes of ice cream on display at Linnalla Cafe during its open season, from April 1 to October 3, and there is always something different for customers to try as well. File Picture.
‘If we have another year like this, our cafe won’t survive’.
These were the sentiments expressed by Brid Fahy of Linnalla Ice Cream in Co Clare who together with her husband Roger runs a dairy farm and ice cream cafe in the Burren.
The fahys have a friesian herd and use milk from their Shorthorn cows for the ice cream.
Most of their milk goes to Arrabawn Coop while the remainder is used for their well-known and highly regarded homemade ice cream.
And, while Covid-19 didn’t impact the farming side of their business, the pandemic played havoc with the workings of the cafe because few tourists visited the area and locals remained in doors because of restrictions.
“Covid-19 didn’t make much difference to the farming end of things; we still have a bit of grass for the cows and will start drying them off around October 20,” added Roger.
“The ground is good around here and there will be less pressure with silage and fodder this winter.” One time Linnalla Ice Cream was available nationwide but in 2010 the Fahys decided to make the ice cream for themselves and opened an ice cream parlor and cafe on their farm.
Local support provides the backbone to the business but visitors to the area are also a vital cog in the wheel.
The ingredients for the ice cream are chosen with great care by Brid Fahy.
“The ingredients we use come from many sources; we grow some ourselves like blackcurrants, apples, etc; some we forage like gorse, blackberries, sloes and hazelnuts while other ingredients have to be imported because they do not grow in Ireland - these would include vanilla, chocolate, citrus and exotic fruits and nuts.
“We try to follow the seasons when using our ingredients so that our flavours are always on date.
“Our strawberries come from Mountmellick in Co Laois while the rhubarb is provided by our neighbour here beside us.” Meanwhile, once Roger is finished milking, Brid takes her share of the milk and cream where it goes into a pasteuriser along with sugar and stabilisers.
From there the ice cream is placed in a batch machine where all the different fruits and flavours are added.
And, shortly thereafter, Linnalla Ice Cream is ready for the customers to enjoy.
“I love making ice creams from ingredients that I like myself,” continued Brid.
“I have about nine tyes on display every day, and there is always something different for customers to try as well.
“I always have the regulars like vanilla, chocolate, honeycomb, strawberry and mint but then I could have apple pie, cinnamon and honey for example - something different.” Linnalla Cafe opens from April 1 to October 31 every year but this year - owing to Covid-19 - it opened much later in the year and closed in early October.
“We didn’t open until July 1 but it was a month that turned out much better than I expected and then we became very busy in August,” added Brid.
“Then September 1, arrived and it was like a light switch - everyone just disappeared.
“We closed then when the Level 3 restrictions were introduced in early October.
“Tourism is a major driver of the ice cream business and this year there were very few tourists around but the Burren Ecotourism Network (BEN) was very helpful to us.”
BEN, meanwhile, is a network of tourism enterprises focused on establishing the Burren as a premier internationally-recognised sustainable tourism region ensuring the future economic and social growth as well as the sustainable development of its communities, environment and heritage.
It also seeks to support continued training, mentoring and accreditation in sustainable tourism for its members and for businesses interested in joining the Network.
“We got a lot of business from BEN this year and we are very grateful for that; Failte Ireland was also very supportive,” said Brid.
“We have our regulars too and we wouldn’t survive without them but we are hoping that a vaccine will be in place by next summer and the business will be back to where it was.
“Because if we have another year like this, our cafe won’t survive.”
