A visit to the Butter Museum is one of the more unique things to do in Cork.
A museum dedicated to butter—are you kidding?! No, it’s no joke and we’re here to tell you that the golden wonder that is butter is indeed worthy of a museum…
The story of butter in Ireland is one that weaves in social, economical and religious history, making it a fascinating topic to explore.
The Butter Museum
Photos courtesy Catherine Crowley via Tourism Ireland
Although a visit to the Butter Museum in Cork is fairly straightforward, there are a few need-to-knows that’ll make your visit that bit more enjoyable.
1. Location
The Butter Museum is situated in O’Connell Square, Shandon, Cork city, near to the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne. It is housed in what was the former Butter Market.
2. Opening hours
The museum is open:
- March – Oct: Wed–Sat 10:00–16:00, Sun 11:00–16:00
- May – Oct: Open daily
- Winter: weekends only
3. Admission/prices
- Adults: €5
- Students/Seniors: €4
- Children: €2
A history of the Butter Museum and butter-making in Ireland
Photo via the Butter Museum
The history of the Butter Museum in Cork is a long and interesting one, and I’m not going to do it justice with a couple of paragraphs of text.
Bewlo, you’ll find a brief history of the the Butter Museum – you’ll discover the rest when you walk through its doors.
The Butter Museum building
The building that houses the present-day museum dates back to 1849.
The Shandon was the largest Shambles (a medieval term for an open-air butchery or place where food is sold) in Ireland, and the butter exchange building was located within this commercial area of the city.
Butter and dairy in Ireland
In the 19th century, Cork was the largest exporter of butter in the world, with the product exported as far as Australia and India.
This stems from a long Irish tradition of dairy making. The weather in Ireland allows farmers to grow large quantities of grass over a long season and research has shown that dairy products were an important food source as far back as 4000 to 2500 BCE.
Dairy in Ireland in modern times
Today, the dairy industry is still a key component of the Irish economy, providing welcome employment in rural areas.
Commercial production of butter started in the 19th century, and butter made from Ireland’s grass-fed cattle is a highly sought-after product in today’s health conscious times.
The Butter Museum Tour
Photo via the Butter Museum
The Butter Museum Tour is one of the more unique things to do in Cork City when it’s raining, and the rave reviews online speak for themselves.
Here’s a handful of need-to-knows about the tour. For up-to-date info on opening hours, visit their website here.
How long it takes
Although the Butter Museum Tour shouldn’t take any longer than 45 minutes or so, you should allow an hour, at least, for your visit to the museum.
What to expect
The museum showcases the important role the butter trade has played in Ireland over the centuries and its displays highlight the 19th century international Butter Exchange, the domestic production of butter, and more recently, the operations of the Kerrygold company.
A fine bit of history
What you will also see are elements of the Irish social, domestic and commercial history, and exhibitions that educate visitors about the various elements of butter making – from dairy cattle farming, to documents and the artifacts of the commercial butter trade such as the old steel churns. Be sure you check out the container that holds 1,000-year-old medieval bog butter…
Things to do nearby
If you fancy, you can easily follow the itinerary above, which you’ll find in my Cork City guide. It’ll take you to:
- The English Market: Artisan stalls, fresh seafood and local produce in a Victorian setting. Open since 1788
- Blackrock Castle: Built in 1582 to keep pirates at bay. Now an observatory, museum and home to a top brunch spot
- Elizabeth Fort: 17th-century star fort with strong ties to Queen Elizabeth I and the Siege of Cork
- Pubs and restaurants: See my Cork restaurants and Cork pubs guide
- Cork Gaol: Once a 19th-century prison, now a museum showing Cork’s justice system through the ages.
Keith O’Hara has lived in Ireland for 35 years and has spent much of the last 13 creating what is now The Irish Road Trip guide. Over the years, the website has published thousands of meticulously researched Ireland travel guides, welcoming 40 million+ visitors along the way. In 2022, the Irish Road Trip team published the world’s largest collection of Irish Road Trip itineraries. Keith lives in Dublin with his dog Toby and finds writing in the 3rd person minus craic altogether.