Born in 1890 in the townland of Cutteen, Agnes Harding (nee Ryan) was one of fourteen children raised in a household steeped in Irish nationalism. Her mother, a fervent patriot, hoped Agnes would become a teacher.But Agnes had other ideas. In her teens, she defied expectations and ran away to Glasgow, where she worked in her sister’s grocery shop—an early taste of the commercial world that would later define her.
By 1914, she was back in Tipperary, working in a bakery.Independent-minded and uninterested in marriage, she nonetheless fell for ayoung creamery manager named Seamus Ryan. Together, they dreamed of something bigger. In 1918, they moved to Dublin and opened a small shop on Parnell Street, naming it the Monument Creamery—a tribute to the nearby statue of Charles Stewart Parnell, Agnes’s political hero.
The shop sold only Irish produce—eggs, butter, cheese—and quickly became a success. But it was more than a business. During the War of Independence, the Ryans’ shops became safe houses for the IRA. Ammunition was hidden in butter boxes, and dispatches were smuggled under false bottoms.Agnes, ever discreet and determined, played her part with quiet courage.
After the Civil War, Agnes turned her focus fully to business. While Seamus entered politics—eventually becoming a senator and a close ally of Éamon de Valera—Agnes expanded the Monument Creamery into a thriving chain. By the early 1930s, there were over 20 shops, two bakeries,tearooms, and a pub. The couple had eight children and lived in a grand red-brick house in Rathgar.
Then, in 1933, tragedy struck. Seamus died suddenly at just 40 years old. Rumours swirled that he had died bankrupt. Agnes, grieving but resolute, silenced the gossip by buying one of Dublin’s first Daimler cars and continuing to grow the business. She later purchased Burton Hall, a 30-room mansion in Sandyford, where she raised her children and hosted high-society dinners.
Agnes was a formidable presence—elegant, exacting, and deeply loyal to her staff, many of whom were relatives or fellow Tipperary natives. She resisted unionisation, fought off competitors, and maintained high standards of service and cleanliness. She was also a patron of the arts,collecting works by Jack B. Yeats and supporting Irish culture.
But times changed. The rise of supermarkets, shifting consumer habits, and new taxes eroded the Creamery’s profits. Agnes tried to adapt but the tide was against her. In 1966, after nearly 50 years, she liquidated the business.
Agnes Ryan died in 1971, aged 81, and was buried beside her husband in Glasnevin Cemetery. Her legacy lived on in her children—artists,writers, monks, and nuns—and in the memory of a woman who built an empire from butter and belief.
Sources:
https://www.dib.ie/biography/ryan-agnes-a9606
https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/arid-41503283.html
