Teresa Creedon and Donal Creedon

Teresa Creedon is the last of the Waltons, who were stone grinding millers, and her son Donal now continues to run the business in the old traditional way. Teresa explains that little has changed at the mill and their home, built in 1770, remains the same. She and Donal describe the process of grinding oats and the technique of firing. They explain that the mill was burnt down by the Black and Tans during the War of Independence, and Teresa’s father and brother rebuilt it in 1923 when the milling business resumed. Teresa speaks of her early memories, her father’s character and mannerisms and the manner in which he handled business. His main customers were the merchants in Macroom. At one time, nine people were employed at the mill. When Teresa married John Creedon in the 1950s he took over the running of the mill at a time when the milling business was in decline. Today, Donal runs the mill which he took over in the 1980s and which is now known as Macroom Oatmeal.