THE STORY
OF
ARRABAWN CO-OP
The cream to be sent in cans on the train from Birdhill to Nenagh with the cream cans returned on the 12.15 p.m train to Birdhill.
of milk and separation of cream, from the beginning Nenagh planned to have installed modern equipment for the manufacture of butter - a churn - a facility which placed them in an advantageous position to provide a valuable service to the neighbouring creameries for the manufacture of butter, which was the sole production of the creameries at the time.
In May, as the second production season got under way agreement was reached to churn cream and make butter for Killeen Co-op Creamery at 5/- per cwt of butter with Killeen Co-op to cart the cream to Nenagh and to supply a cream vat. The society had also employed Denis McGrath, a carter from Duharra to cart cream from the station at 8d per day.
As the word spread of the plans for Nenagh Creamery, there was general interest from the some of the existing creameries. Three months before the operations commenced Messrs M. Corbett and Jerry McDonnell, Duharra Creamery signed an agreement on January 31, 1914 for Nenagh Creamery to churn and dispose of their cream.
The arrangement appeared to run smoothly with the exception of a complaint when a deputation of J. Gleeson, manager and Mr Coffey from Birdhill Creamery expressed dissatisfaction to the committee that milk cans were not being returned regularly on the 12.15 p.m. train from Nenagh and there was not an invoice being sent with each parcel of butter rolls. Clarifications provided by P. Coleman, manager were accepted as satisfactory.
A request from Birdhill Co-op Creamery for the manufacture and sale of butter from cream supplied by the co-op was considered in January 1915. The society tendered 5/and 5/6d per cwt respectively including the cost of carting the cream from the railway station and delivery of the butter to the station with Birdhill Co-op to be responsible for their portion of any bad debts.
Nenagh continued to provide the agreed service to Duharra, Birdhill and Killeen Co-ops over the coming years, without further expansion until 1923 when cream from Silvermines Co-op was accepted for churning and marketing of butter at a charge of 9/4d per cwt of butter.
Birdhill Creamery was one of the first societies to supply cream to Nenagh for churning. The cream was sent by train each day. 116