The dairy industry was probably the greatest source of income to the many small farmers that populated the Lack School catchment area over the twentieth century. This labour-intensive industry experienced a revolution through this period, which affected the lives of every household in the area. The golden age was the era of the creamery, from about 1932 to the early 1980s.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, butter making in the home had changed little over many generations. The cream was removed from the cow’s milk by a process known as skimming. The milk was held in large vessels such as pans and the layer of cream which settled on the surface was removed. The cream was used to make butter which was sold at the various local markets.

The first major development was the introduction of the milk separator. This machine, which entered the market early in the century, was an efficient means of removing the cream from the milk. In a short time every household had a separator. As the farmer could now remove all of the cream from the milk, he produced more butter and his income increased accordingly.

Lissycasey Creamery

The milk separator died a rather sudden death in the early 1930s with the building of four creameries serving the area, located at Clondegad, Cranny, Kildysart and Lissycasey. All were of similar design. This is a picture of the Lissycasey creamery taken in the early 1980s.

Now the farmer took the milk to the creamery where the cream was removed and he returned home with what was known locally as the skimmed milk. It was fed to the calves, pigs, etc. The cream was taken to the central creamery in Kilrush where butter was made from it.

The effect of the creamery on the local population, as all were farmers, may be summarised as follows:

• Everybody with two or more cows sent milk to the creamery
• In return, they received a regular monthly cheque covering the period of the year when they supplied milk. The cheque was largest in June/July when milk output peaked. This greatly increased the number of households in receipt of a regular income. The milk suppliers now joined the old age pensioners, who were already in receipt of a regular income − the weekly pension − since 1909
• All who supplied milk to the creamery were provided with a distinctive milk tank, a number and a creamery book to record the weight of milk supplied daily. They had to provide their own means of transporting the milk. At first it was the cart drawn by a donkey, pony or horse. Later it was the trailer drawn by a car or tractor. In the period 1969 to about 1975, Flann Sheehan from Tonlegee provided a transport service, delivering the milk from Tonlegee, Lack, Coolsippeen and Ardnagla to Clondegad creamery at a rate of about 2.5p per gallon. Otherwise, most people joined with neighbours and operated a weekly rota system to get the milk to the creamery
• As the creamery opened for business early in the morning, the alarm clock became a necessity
• A shop was opened adjacent to most creameries for the convenience of the farmers. Many took to reading the daily newspaper
• There was an important social aspect to the creamery. Farming could be a solitary life. Now farmers met at the creamery, discussed the local news, reviewed the weather prospects, etc
• As milk is a perishable good there was no chance of a day off. The milk had to be taken to the creamery every day of the week, no matter the weather. The only exception was the winter when the quantity was small and the weather cold
• The creamery also purchased eggs, turkeys and poultry from the farmers. In addition to the milk cans, most farmers also had the egg box

Creamery exit roadsign

The rate of production of milk rose rapidly as farmers improved their herds and fertilised the land, and reached a peak in the 1970s. Ireland’s entry into the EEC in 1973 boosted incomes greatly. Gradually the number of farmers declined due to old age. Others found it uneconomic, due to the size of their holdings, to upgrade their milking arrangements to meet new EEC requirements relating to quality control and abandoned the creamery. The industry went into rapid decline in the 1980s. The creameries had already ceased to separate milk and instead became collection points. One by one, they were demolished. The contribution of the creamery to the local economy throughout the twentieth century cannot be overestimated.