Butter Museum
Butter Museum
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The area
Neighbourhood: Shandon
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See what travellers are saying
- Tim Mc GDublin, Ireland475 contributionsThe Butter MuseumWas in Cork for the day and decided I’d go to the museum based on reviews. I really enjoyed it. It was great to learn about the history of butter and all the different contraptions for making butter. Would go againVisited April 2024Travelled soloWritten 29 April 2024
- KeeksdeeksMaidstone, United Kingdom129 contributionsDon't miss itThis is a genuinely brilliant museum. I learnt loads about the butter industry but also a lot about Irish history. It's a small museum and only €5 so an easy one to pop into. I would recommend taking the time to visit, it's different and very informative.Visited June 2024Travelled with friendsWritten 17 June 2024
- Saxofone74 contributionsSpread the love and visit this unique and amazing museum!Being a butter addict I wanted to find out more about how it’s made and Dominic did not disappoint! This hugely entertaining and knowledgeable man takes you through the history of butter production in Ireland and how the grass fed cows produce the unique taste while actually making butter in front of you. It’s quite a moment when the butter forms in the buttermilk and leaves you with the milk and the butter as two separate entities. It’s how Science lessons could and should be! Of course the tasting is a particular highlight and it’s so delicious and creamy I could have eaten pounds of it! Thank you for this and the great exhibitions which further amplify your knowledge of how it all came about and why it’s so highly prized. A brilliant experience.Visited August 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 10 August 2024
- Maddy MSeattle, Washington2 contributionsLife-changingWhen I had first heard about Cork’s butter museum I wasn’t expecting much, but i was delightfully surprised. The Butter museum is a small but mighty establishment that serves as one of Cork’s most fun and interesting things to do. Before my visit, I didn’t really care much about butter, but after learning about its detailed and interesting history, I think I might want to break into the butter farming market. I’ve done more research since my visit, and there’s so much opportunity in that field. I love butter and the Butter Museum has infatuated me with butter. I can’t stop thinking about butter. Day and night, butter. I swear I dream about butter. The Butter Museum is an adorable and informative establishment.Visited August 2024Travelled with familyWritten 21 August 2024
- AlbertSalichsManresa, Spain23,872 contributionsVery interesting museum about butterButter Museum is located in Cork, the second largest city in Ireland. It is a very interesting museum, where you can learn a lot about the industry of butter in Ireland, his history and why Cork is a very important port in Ireland (in fact, the port is located in Cobh, near Cork). Really, here you can read about why butter is a very important food in Ireland and how Ireland was the main country to export this food.Visited October 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 29 September 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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4.0
453 reviews
Excellent
142
Very good
169
Average
96
Poor
29
Terrible
17
Geraldine
Cork, Ireland1,959 contributions
Aug 2020 • Couples
This is a lovely museum largely focusing on the origins of butter and butter trading in Ireland. The video at the start is interesting & informative. The museum could be made even better by adding a more recent history section though as it stops in the 1920s.
Written 26 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Matt McKissock
Warren, PA18 contributions
Sept 2022 • Couples
As a seasoned world traveler I have learned not to invest too much hope in anticipation of experiencing any of the great bucket-list destinations of the world, for fear of the crushing disappointment and long tail of depression that ensues when the reality of the experience invariably fails to live up to the fantasy I construct in my head during my years of anticipation. It’s better to stoically gird oneself for mild disappointment and remain grounded rather than get carried away with the excitement of the approaching day.
So after years of planning, today the big day finally came, and I am delighted to say, the Butter Museum in Cork, Ireland did not disappoint.
Did you know that in the first decade following the admittance of the Republic of Ireland as a full member to the European Union, the Irish produced “by far” the greatest surplus of butter available for export than any other state in the union? Well I sure as heck didn’t!
I do feel that their curation choices and presentation were heavily biased against margarine (I mean come on. I’m the first person to concede the relative health benefits of butter given the absence of the industrially hydrogenated oils used in the production of margarine, as emphasized in the museum’s 16-minute introductory film. But they were quick to dismiss margarine out of hand as a viable alternative, without even bothering to mention the superior shelf stability imparted by these synthetic trans fats. I’m just saying, I think the whole experience would’ve been more balanced had they at least given the margarine industry lobby equal time and an opportunity to respond to some of the more egregious one-sided charges leveled before a captive audience. I mean, we’re all adults here right? Just give us the information and let us decide.) This latter point did leave a bit of an unpleasant lingering aftertaste for me, kind of like when you allow your fermented Himalayan yak butter to remain in the clay fermenting pot a few weeks longer than recommended.
Speaking of which, there was a suspicious total absence of any mention at all of Himalayan yak butter anywhere in the entire museum. Not. One. Mention.
But notwithstanding these minor blemishes on an otherwise creamy smooth experience that my family and I will not soon forget, we give the Butter Museum an enthusiastic FIVE STARS!
So after years of planning, today the big day finally came, and I am delighted to say, the Butter Museum in Cork, Ireland did not disappoint.
Did you know that in the first decade following the admittance of the Republic of Ireland as a full member to the European Union, the Irish produced “by far” the greatest surplus of butter available for export than any other state in the union? Well I sure as heck didn’t!
I do feel that their curation choices and presentation were heavily biased against margarine (I mean come on. I’m the first person to concede the relative health benefits of butter given the absence of the industrially hydrogenated oils used in the production of margarine, as emphasized in the museum’s 16-minute introductory film. But they were quick to dismiss margarine out of hand as a viable alternative, without even bothering to mention the superior shelf stability imparted by these synthetic trans fats. I’m just saying, I think the whole experience would’ve been more balanced had they at least given the margarine industry lobby equal time and an opportunity to respond to some of the more egregious one-sided charges leveled before a captive audience. I mean, we’re all adults here right? Just give us the information and let us decide.) This latter point did leave a bit of an unpleasant lingering aftertaste for me, kind of like when you allow your fermented Himalayan yak butter to remain in the clay fermenting pot a few weeks longer than recommended.
Speaking of which, there was a suspicious total absence of any mention at all of Himalayan yak butter anywhere in the entire museum. Not. One. Mention.
But notwithstanding these minor blemishes on an otherwise creamy smooth experience that my family and I will not soon forget, we give the Butter Museum an enthusiastic FIVE STARS!
Written 5 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Just Desserts
74 contributions
Jan 2022
We enjoyed browsing through this small museum on a side road in Cork. The exhibit contains churns, wrappers, and other equipment, as well as a history of the butter industry in Ireland. We found the video to be very interesting. It doesn't take very long to go through the museum but we enjoyed it. Children might be bored. We left the museum craving fresh bread with lots of butter!
Written 23 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tracey H
Dublin, Ireland3 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
A really interesting museum, which takes in all the varied and fascinating aspects of Irish butter culture including material culture and the different styles of domestic churns used, the folklore surrounding churning, the history of bog butter and the historical economic importance of Irish butter in global trade. It's quite a niche museum but is really fascinating in how it shows the breadth of how butter relates to wider culture, history and economy. You could probably see it in an hour, and the variety of audio-visual displays, display-cabinets, panels and even an area where you can print your own butter labels would make it an interesting visit for all ages.
Written 14 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jim S.
Houston, TX74 contributions
Jun 2023 • Couples
Definitely worth a visit. The exhibits will only take you about an hour - but will give you an interesting bit of Irish and Cork history. The museum is located in the old Butter Market buildings, from which butter was shipped to the entire British Empire.
Written 24 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Keeksdeeks
Maidstone, UK129 contributions
Jun 2024 • Friends
This is a genuinely brilliant museum. I learnt loads about the butter industry but also a lot about Irish history. It's a small museum and only €5 so an easy one to pop into. I would recommend taking the time to visit, it's different and very informative.
Written 17 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Saxofone
74 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
Being a butter addict I wanted to find out more about how it’s made and Dominic did not disappoint! This hugely entertaining and knowledgeable man takes you through the history of butter production in Ireland and how the grass fed cows produce the unique taste while actually making butter in front of you. It’s quite a moment when the butter forms in the buttermilk and leaves you with the milk and the butter as two separate entities. It’s how Science lessons could and should be! Of course the tasting is a particular highlight and it’s so delicious and creamy I could have eaten pounds of it! Thank you for this and the great exhibitions which further amplify your knowledge of how it all came about and why it’s so highly prized. A brilliant experience.
Written 10 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
filsfieryfurnace
Guildford, UK96 contributions
Jun 2023
Lovely building, some interesting artefacts. Friendly, folksy butter demo - not much of a focus on facts, but a very personable 'docent'.
But how can a museum effectively telling the story of agriculture in this part of Ireland from the start of the nineteenth century, ignore the 'Great Famine'?
Particularly as one of the primary contributors to the famine was the fact that landowners/farmers carried on exposing 'cash crops' like butter out of SW Ireland throughout the 1840's?
This baffled me.
I wonder if the extremely corporate 'Kerrygold' introductory video which you are shown at entry points to the reason behind this...?
But how can a museum effectively telling the story of agriculture in this part of Ireland from the start of the nineteenth century, ignore the 'Great Famine'?
Particularly as one of the primary contributors to the famine was the fact that landowners/farmers carried on exposing 'cash crops' like butter out of SW Ireland throughout the 1840's?
This baffled me.
I wonder if the extremely corporate 'Kerrygold' introductory video which you are shown at entry points to the reason behind this...?
Written 26 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fran C
Fleet, UK1,171 contributions
Oct 2022 • Solo
I was intrigued by the Butter museum and took the time to visit. Its in the Shandon historic quaternary I stumbled up an alleyway which brought me up by the Shandon bells.
The card machine was not working and as I don't carry cash the lovely gentleman on the desk waived me through.
I had just missed the video and didn't want to hang around so took a wander through. Lots of interesting information to read and a few audio options to listen to. Not the best museum could be updated but it is interesting if you take the time to read it.
Given it was a free trip for me it was worth it maybe not for a whole family.
The card machine was not working and as I don't carry cash the lovely gentleman on the desk waived me through.
I had just missed the video and didn't want to hang around so took a wander through. Lots of interesting information to read and a few audio options to listen to. Not the best museum could be updated but it is interesting if you take the time to read it.
Given it was a free trip for me it was worth it maybe not for a whole family.
Written 21 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ruthie N
Lafayette, CA13 contributions
Sept 2023 • Couples
This place could be totally easily overlooked, but I highly encourage a stop here. While one might think “a museum about butter?” there was a lot of Irish history included which we enjoyed. The docents were personable (ok, who isn’t in Ireland?) and there was also an informative film clip with photos through the years.
Anyone with any interest in marketing would be amazed at the early insight of the Irish Dairy Board. Truly remarkable for such a small country to have such control over a particular product on an international basis.
Anyone with any interest in marketing would be amazed at the early insight of the Irish Dairy Board. Truly remarkable for such a small country to have such control over a particular product on an international basis.
Written 8 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is there a gift shop ?
I'm interested in some small inexpensive items that I could bring back for some fellow butter lovers here at work.
Written 21 August 2018
No, there wasn't a gift shop a few months ago.
But there may be something in the village that would be an appropriate "butter" gift.
Written 22 August 2018
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