Our History

Sitting in Deebert House Hotel, Kilmallock is actually a remarkably natural thing to do with “The Cloister Bar and Grill taking its name from the wonderfully preserved Cloisters within the Ancient Dominican Abbey ruins close by. This site has always had a tradition for fine ingredients and fare. Originally built in 1807 and one of only five mills on the river Lúbagh and later a creamery, today the O’ Sullivan family see it as a duty to continue the traditions of quality and care cemented in its DNA for generations.

Driven by the flow of the passing Lúbagh River, the mill was run by the Cree family from Scotland, grinding some of Ireland’s finest flour, milling continued for over a century. Later owned by the famous Cleeve family, around 1900 some of the site was also converted to a Creamery producing not just milk but indeed butter, of such quality it was considered to be the finest in Ireland during its day. Interestingly, the old mill building also began producing milk for the famous “Cleeves Toffee” alongside the dairy business. Indeed many if you will remember the toffee and the trays it came in along with the little hammer to crack it.

Sold to the Kilmallock Co-Operative Creamery in the late 1920’s the site continued production until sadly closing its gates for the last time in the 1950’s. In the 1970’s Ben O’Sullivan who was a cheese maker moved into Deebert House with his wife Anne and Family and restored the house it to its former glory. In 1980 Anne began welcoming guests to her Bed and Breakfast. In 2000 the O’ Sullivan’s bought the old mill building. With the area saved from complete dereliction and collapse the main mill building with many original and historically irreplaceable features have been carefully restored by the O’ Sullivan Family and opened as Deebert House Hotel in 2007.