Editorial note: All information in this article is based on our June 2025 visit, as part of a larger article on Irish Cheese to be later featured in the Winter 2026 issue of Culture: The Word on Cheese Magazine. Please fact-check all details, figures, technical descriptions, and current business information directly with the cheesemaker before sharing or publishing.
On a drizzly day in County Mayo, near the town of Claremorris, Michael Flanagan welcomed us into his home and gathered us around the family dining table for a feast of Velvet Cloud yogurts and cheeses. It was a lovely, personal introduction to a relatively young cheesemaking business rooted in a family farm with generations of dairy history.
Michael grew up on a cow farm, so when he decided to start making cheese, he chose sheep. As he explained, “I chose sheep because I’m a bit crazy.” We can appreciate a cheesemaker who knows himself! There isn’t a history of sheep milk cheeses being produced in Ireland; most sheep are for the meat market. Plus, sheep yield less milk than cows overall, with a shorter milking season - which all makes it pricier to produce… or as Michael said it, “crazy” to pursue.
Though the family had always farmed, Michael’s path to cheesemaking wasn’t exactly a straight line. He and his wife, Aisling, had lived in Italy and France, and Michael had worked in other industries, including seafood. But the idea of making cheese on the family farm was always there, waiting for the right moment. About ten years ago, he made the leap from hobby cheesemaker — making cheese just a few times a year — to building a full-time business. Aisling, who works in marketing and also lectures and consults, is an important part of the operation, too. Their son even helped gather some of the farm’s newest lambs for us to hold during our visit.
As Michael put it, “It was always in the back of my mind to do this. It hasn’t been easy, but I don’t regret it.” He was candid about the challenges of growing a small food business through COVID, inflation, and rising costs. “Cheesemaking is a degree of passion and commitment but not a ton of money.” It takes a particular kind of person to choose this path, and it was clear that Michael has both the passion and the determination to keep pushing forward.
Today, Velvet Cloud is one of a very small number of sheep dairies in Ireland. Their herd of Lacaune sheep is milked year-round, with numbers peaking at around 250–260 ewes in late spring and dropping to roughly 150 in winter. The sheep graze on 27 hectares — about 65 acres — and the staggered lambing and breeding schedule helps keep milk flowing throughout the year. The farm also raises hundreds of lambs annually.
The milk goes into yogurt, labneh, and fresh cheeses throughout the year, while the aged cheeses are made when there’s a surplus of milk, typically from spring through early autumn. That seasonality is part of the rhythm of working with animals and milk, rather than treating production as something that can be switched on and off at will.
And the tasting? Absolutely delightful. Sheep milk has a richness that makes it particularly well suited to yogurt and fresh dairy products. Velvet Cloud’s yogurt was luscious and creamy, and the labneh — marketed as a fresh cheese spread to help customers understand what they’re buying — was a standout. Michael told us that chefs were quick to embrace it, and it’s easy to see why. It has that decadent, concentrated quality that makes a simple smear on bread feel like something special. We enjoyed it alongside yogurt bread made by Aisling or their daughter, which was the perfect accompaniment to the tasting.
Sheep milk is naturally richer in solids than cow’s milk, including protein and fat, which helps give these products their full texture and flavor. It’s one reason sheep milk yogurt can feel so indulgent without needing much else. For Michael, choosing sheep wasn’t just about being a little unconventional; it gave him a distinctive milk to work with and a way to create products that stand apart.
Of course, we were there for the cheese, too. Rockfield, Velvet Cloud’s sheep milk cheese, takes inspiration from the mountain cheeses of the Pyrenees — think Ossau-Iraty. It has a natural rind and is aged for at least 18–20 weeks, developing a firm texture and savory, nutty character. It’s a lovely example of how a traditional style can be interpreted through a different milk and a different landscape.
They also make Cloonbook, an aged cheese using cow’s milk sourced from a neighboring cousin’s farm about 10 kilometers away. The recipe is the same as Rockfield, but the two cheeses look noticeably different. The sheep milk version is more ivory in color, while the cow’s milk cheese is more yellow. That difference comes in part from how the animals process beta-carotene from the grass they eat, which can show up in the color of the milk and, ultimately, the cheese. It’s a neat little reminder that the milk itself carries clues about the animal and what it has been eating.
We loved that Michael is building a business around sheep milk at a time when the Irish sheep dairy sector remains tiny. Velvet Cloud’s products reach both retail customers and food service, with chefs and restaurants making good use of the yogurt and labneh as well as the cheeses. The company also supplies customers in the UK, where Irish dairy products have a strong presence in specialty food markets.
While the farm isn’t open for drop-in visitors, Michael and the team occasionally arrange small group visits in advance. If you’re in the area, it’s worth checking their website or social media to see what might be available. You can also find Velvet Cloud products through Irish retailers including Sheridan’s Cheesemongers, with yogurt generally easier to find in grocery stores than the aged cheeses.
We left our afternoon around the Flanagan family’s table with a full belly and a real appreciation for what Michael is building. Velvet Cloud is a reminder that making great cheese takes more than a recipe: it takes a willingness to take a risk, to work with the seasons, and to keep going when the business side is every bit as demanding as the cheesemaking itself.
And if you ever have the chance to try sheep milk labneh with a bit of fresh bread, take it. You’ll understand why we’re still thinking about that tasting.
Do Good. Eat Good.
— Kendall, Antonelli’s Cheese
More pics on the video I posted to Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DMbh5TaSlzZ/
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