Golden Vale’s 70 years to be recalled in exhibition

THE exhibition of photographs to mark 70 years of Golden Vale Food Products Limited and National Heritage Week in Charleville will be declared open at the Provincial Heritage Museum at the Convent of Mercy by Peter Somers, co-author of the book ‘Golden Vale Remembered’, and former creamery manager Pat Normoyle.

The exhibition, organised by Charleville Heritage Society, contains many photographs of the Golden Vale through the years from the earliest days and will recall the people, the plant and the products that made Golden Vale a household name throughout the country. It also features pictures of the annual cheese festivals which were a big part of the social life of the town, particularly in the seventies and eighties and into the nineties.

The exhibition will also feature a display arranged by former butter maker at Golden Vale, Eamon O’Sullivan, from his extensive array of museum pieces connected with the dairy industry which he has amassed over the years.

The exhibition opens at 7.30pm to 9pm on this Friday and from 2pm to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday. The exhibition will also be on display during Charleville Heritage Society’s annual Festival of History which is on from Thursday to Sunday, September 7-10.

“This exhibition will be of immense interest to both former employees of Golden Vale and people in general and they will recognise many of the people in the photographic display,” said Heritage Society chairman Ian Doyle.

“Those of the cheese festivals of the seventies and eighties will prove to very popular as will the pictures of the various hurling teams that contested the inter-firm competitions.

“The products that were produced in the various factories at what was the Golden Vale plant will also be featured.

“Admission to the exhibition is free of charge, but donations would be greatly appreciated to defray the cost of mounting the exhibition,” he added.