Convoy Cooperative Creamery

Hi

You may have already tried County Donegal Archivist, Niamh Brennan, based with Donegal County Council.

nbrennan@donegalcoco.ie

Also the County Donegal Historical Society are a wealth of knowledge and contacts, again a main contact is via Niamh.

best of luck

Bernadette Walsh

Hello Bernadette

Thank you for your prompt response to my query.

I have emailed Niamh Brennan with my query, and took the liberty of asking about four other Donegal creameries whose locations I am trying to establish (Bruckless, Donegal Town, Gleneany and Knockbrack).

I will let you know how I get on.

With best wishes

Proinnsias Breathnach

Hi Proinnsias,

Just to let you know that we have alerted our volunteers in Donegal to your post.

If any can help, they will reply here.

Thanks for contacting us.

Mick Baynes

Volunteer Co-Ordinator

Hi Proinnsias,

You may also try the Aurivo/Donegal Creameries office at Crossroads, Killygordon.

Their current plant is adjacent to the site of the originan Finn Valley Co-op and they published a book a couple of years ago called Fields of Gold.

The book contains a lot of history about the founding of the old Co-op and may also reference Convoy.

Regards,

Cronan Scanlon

Thanks Cronan for that tip.  Sorry for the delay in acknowledging.  I have ordered the "Fields of Gold" book (of which I had not previously been aware) and if the information I am looking for is not there, I will call  Aurivo at Killygordon.

Proinnsias Breathnach

Hi Proinnsais, I've just been informed that the old creamery was situated beside the Orange Hall. The is located near Convoy Woolen Mills. Cronan

Thanks Cronan for that nugget of information.  Convoy Orange Hall was not built until 1919 and therefore is not shown in the 1904 OS map.  However, I have been able to identify it from photos associated with newspaper reports of when it was burned in 2014.  It has since been rebuilt but Google Streetview of the site has not been updated since 2010.  There is a cleared site next to the hall where a building which could have been a creamery stood in the 1904 map, although it is not named in the map.  This is a short distance from the Convoy Woollen Mills.  This building is located in Kiltole townland, and the 1901 Census lists a “manufactory” for Kiltole which may be the creamery.  I am assuming that the building shown in the 1904 map is the creamery.  Strangely, there is no mention of a manufactory or creamery in Kiltole in the 1911 Census.  A William Wray, Creamery Manager, is listed in the census as living in Drumgumberland townland (to the west of Convoy).  He was still the Convoy Creamery Manager in 1931.  Thank you again for your help with this query.  

Proinnsias