Patrick using his loaf as McCloskey’s mark bread week in style
MCCLOSKEY’S BAKERY FLYING THE FLAG FOR IRISH BREAD WEEK
IT’S a brand that can found in every corner of the North East, from the banks of the Boyne to Ardee’s Deeside, to Bettystown and Dundalk.
And now they’ve ventured even further afield, their product available as far north as Co Antrim
And the success story that is McCloskey’s shows no signs of slowing down as they celebrate National Bread Week this week.
National Bread Week is a generic Irish campaign organised by the FCBA (Flour Confectionery and Bakers Association), in conjunction in Northern Ireland with the Northern Ireland Bakery Council, on the island of Ireland.
It is now in its fourth year , it runs until 17th September and the goal is simple - celebrate all the great things about bread and why Ireland is a nation of bread lovers.
‘We produce a vast variety of traditional and artisan bread here in the bakery. Our number one selling line is our Cottage Brown, so as part of a previous National Bread Week we succeeded in making the largest Cottage Brown weighing in at a quarter of a tonne. We had a great time being involved and had some fun filled family days joining in,’ Managing Director Patrick McCloskey states.
Patrick’s sheer enthusiasm when comes to his product is hard to match.
He is third generation - the firm started by his grandparents, Paddy and Vera, in Trinity Street, Drogheda, in 1940.
In 1982, they bought the Moorland on West Street and Patrick joined the firm in 1985.
‘Keep it simple is the success of it,’ Patrick explains. He says bread is a ‘very traditional product’ and they stick to his grandmother’s recipe still.
It is an art in itself, the combination of timing and temperature vital in production.
They produce thousands of product each week, including 30,000 Cottage Browns.
‘You are always working against the clock and the aim is to get from the oven to the it shelf as quickly as possible.’
There are 200 employed overall in the company and over 60 in their bakery in Drogheda.
Many have been there for decades, Pat Boylan from Tullyallen is here 40 years and says there have been many changes, all for the good.
Paddy Byrne in the confectionary department has spent 25 years in production while Martina Byrne is another long server.
She is 23 years with the company, having moved from the Moorland Cafe.
‘ This week is about celebrating bread,’ Patrick adds. ‘Irish bread is amongst the best in the world and is actually low in fat and sugar. Both brown and white Irish bread provide just 1% of the fat content of the Irish diet. Ireland has a delicious bread heritage!’
More details on Bread Week can be found on www.nationalbreadweek.ie.