Three Tipperary cheesemakers score prizes at 2026 awards

Three Tipperary Farmhouse Cheesemakers were honoured last week at the 2026 Irish Cheese Awards. The prestigious ceremony hosted by CÁIS, the Association of Irish Farmhouse Cheesemakers, took place at Cloughjordan House in north Tipperary on Wednesday September 23rd.

Between them, Cashel Farmhouse Cheese, Cáis Na Tíre and Cooleeney Farm took home a total of seven awards.

Cashel Farmhouse Cheese won four awards, as their new Toma No. 5 cow’s milk claimed a silver award. The company also picked up silver and bronze awards in the Blue Cheese cateogry with its famous Cashel Blue and Crozier Blue cheeses, and another silver for its Shepherd’s Store cheese.

Cáis Na Tíre from Terryglass scooped two silver awards in the ‘Mature Hard Cheese’ category for its ‘Cáis Na Tíre’ and ‘Cáis Na Tíre Gouda’ sheep’s milk cheeses.

‘Cáis Na Tíre’ is loosely based on the Tomme cheese recipe. Aged for six to twelve months, its flavour has a little earthiness, say The Association of Irish Farmhouse Cheesemakers, “but also hints of sweetness, with some caramel and even pear-like tones, making it a very suitable alternative to Parmesan cheese.”

“‘Cáis Na Tíre Gouda’ is a semi hard-hard sheep milk cheese depending on its maturity. It has a lovely nutty, sweet flavour and is ideal for sandwiches, pasta dishes and also melts to give a stringy consistency making it perfect for pizzas.”

Finally, Cooleeney Farm based in Moyne, near Thurles, took home a Silver award for its ‘Gleann Óir’ cheese.

Chair of CÁIS, Dan Hegarty (of Hegarty’s Cheese), said: “The biannual Irish Cheese Awards is a very important event in the diary of Irish Farmhouse Cheesemakers due to the calibre of judges involved which has a significant impact on individual Irish artisan cheese producers.

This in turn has a very positive effect on the long-term future, viability, and success of the Irish Farmhouse Cheese Industry, which continues to thrive over the 40 plus years of CÁIS's existence."

The celebration of Ireland’s farmhouse cheesemakers, now in its eleventh year, named winners across fourteen distinct classes with awards also presented to the ‘Best New Cheese’ and ‘Best Raw Milk Cheese’, culminating in naming one winner as this year’s ‘Supreme Champion’.

This followed a rigorous judging process that was undertaken by a high calibre panel of Irish and international cheese experts at La Rousse Foods in Dublin earlier this month.

Together, the fifteen judges tasted 150 different cheeses produced by thirty cheesemakers located across the island of Ireland; from the Aran Islands and Aillwee Cave to Dingle and Donegal.

Each cheese was individually scored on aroma, flavour, body, texture, and overall appearance in order to select this year’s worthy winners.