Butter Museum
O’Connell Square, Shandon, Cork, South West Ireland
Paying homage to the great golden spread, Cork’s Butter Museum shines the spotlight on one of Ireland’s greatest trade stories. Displays and audio-visual guides here trace the history of butter production in Cork and its impact on Ireland’s social and agricultural development. Expect to hear offbeat facts and leave with a craving for bread slathered in the stuff.
The basics
The museum is set in Cork’s old butter market in Shandon, where butter was once shipped out around the British Empire. The sight is small yet informative, with well-curated exhibits that recount tales of the butter roads, superstitions about churning, and almost everything butter-related in between. Hop-on hop-off sightseeing tours usually include a stop in Shandon, so you can easily combine a visit to this niche museum with other attractions in Cork.
Things to know before you go
Expect to spend around an hour at the museum.
Tickets can be bought online or on the door. It rarely gets too busy here, however, so the sight also works well for spontaneous visits
Kids and adults alike can enjoy printing their own butter wrappers for a quirky keepsake of Cork.
The museum is wheelchair-accessible, although there are no disabled restrooms or dedicated nearby parking.
How to get there
The Butter Museum is in the Shandon neighborhood of Cork—specifically in the former butter market, which is walkable up a hill from the city center. Drivers should note there’s no on-site parking lot, and residential streets nearby are often busy. However, there are plenty of central Cork parking lots within a 15-minute walk. Otherwise, Cork hop-on hop-off tour buses stop at nearby St. Anne’s Church.
When to get there
The museum is open year-round, with weekend openings only in the quieter off-peak months between December and February. In the shoulder months of March, April, May, October, and November, the attraction is open Wednesday through Sunday; in the peak summer months from June to September, it’s open daily. If you want to catch one of the popular butter-making demonstrations, note that these take place on Saturdays at midday.
Shandon Bells
Linger in the Shannon area after visiting the Butter Museum and check out the steepled St. Anne’s Church, often referred to as Shandon Bells after the bells located inside. For a small fee, you can climb the 132 steps to the tower balcony for views out over Cork—and try your hand at bell ringing, too.
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