Bulmers Original Vintage Cider is a brand of cider produced in
Ireland.
To prevent confusion with the English cider of the same name, it is sold outside of Ireland as
Magners Original Irish Cider.
Commercial cider production was started in Clonmel, County Tipperary in 1935, by local man William Magner. Magner bought the orchard from a Mr Phelan from Clonmel. Magner quickly established a successful business, and in 1937 he joined forces with the English cider-makers H. P. Bulmer and Company. Dowds Lane in Clonmel was the location of this burgeoning enterprise.
In 1949 Magner withdrew from the business and the Bulmers name came to the fore. However H.P. Bulmer maintained international rights to the Bulmers trade mark, which prevented the Irish company exporting the brand from Ireland.
In 1964 the company name was changed to Showerings (Ireland) Ltd. Soon after, the company moved its main processing operations to a new complex at Annerville, five kilometres from the centre of Clonmel heading east on the N24 Waterford road, which was opened in 1965 by the then Taoiseach, Seán Lemass.
Today
Today Irish Bulmers Ltd. employs more than 470 people and is a substantial part of the economic infrastructure of the community of Clonmel. It is owned by C&C, one of Ireland's biggest drinks companies.
The Magners brand
The success of Bulmers cider in Ireland led to the development of Magners Cider. The concept was originally developed by Shane Whelan, who argued that the international growth of Irish pubs provided a natural market for an indigenous Irish drink such as Magners. The label is identical to Bulmers, except for the name.
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