120 Years of The Cope
From a small co-operative founded in Cleendra in 1906 to one of West Donegal’s best-known community businesses, The Cope has grown through generations of change while remaining rooted in the communities it serves.
Built on Heritage
The Templecrone Co-Operative Society began in Cleendra in 1906 as a small co-operative serving its local community. Over time, it grew into an important enterprise supporting farming, retail, industry and construction throughout West Donegal.
From its earliest days, The Cope was guided by local people. That connection to community has remained at the centre of the organisation throughout generations of growth and change.
Discover More
If you would like to learn more about The Cope, our founder Patrick Gallagher and the remarkable story behind the Templecrone Co-operative Society, these books offer a fascinating look at the people, events and ideas that shaped our history.
The Cope • 1906–2009
Discover the extraordinary history of the Templecrone Co-operative Society, from its beginnings in 1906 through more than a century of community, resilience and co-operation.
Patrick Gallagher
Read Paddy the Cope's story in his own words. Patrick Gallagher's autobiography tells of his life in the Rosses and the beginnings of the co-operative movement that would become The Cope.
Paddy's Story for Younger Readers
Introduce younger readers to Paddy the Cope, his life in West Donegal and the story of how he helped establish the Templecrone Co-operative Society.
The Story of The Cope
From a small co-operative in Cleendra to a modern retail, service and community organisation — explore the people, places and defining moments that shaped The Cope.
Scroll through our story
The Templecrone Co-Operative Agricultural Society is formally registered, beginning a story that would shape trade, employment and community life across West Donegal.
What began in a modest stone building at Cleendra quickly grew into a much bigger idea. Paddy and Sally Gallagher saw co-operation not simply as a shop, but as a way to improve local life through shared ownership, local service and opportunity.
The Society first moves to Condy Doherty’s House in 1907, then to the Old Courthouse in 1909, placing The Cope at the centre of local trade.
These early moves were crucial. Dungloe offered better access to customers, transport and the railway. Around the same time, Maghery opened, Cope Hall was built and the Tea-Van service began — all signs that the Society was already thinking beyond a single shop.
The Cope broadens its reach with openings at Lettermacaward, Meenbanad and Kincasslagh, while the Bakery and Tailoring Department add new local services.
Lettermacaward opened in 1911 and later became a rental property in 2009. The Bakery opened in 1913 and served the area for generations before closing in 1984. Meenbanad opened in 1914 and later closed in 1972. The Tailoring Department opened in 1915, while Kincasslagh opened in 1919 and would later be reimagined as Cope Foodstore Express.
A purpose-built factory creates major employment for women in the Rosses and becomes one of The Cope’s most important early industries.
Completed in 1918 and formally opened in 1919, the factory became a major employer and later became closely associated with St. Crone Handknits. Its closure in 1983 marked the end of a very important industrial chapter in Cope history.
Bought for £1,250 from Marquis Conyngham, the Mill becomes a centre of local industry, supporting flour milling, ice production and trade.
The Mill supported milling and wider trade, but its water power gave The Cope the ability to supply electricity to Dungloe decades before the ESB arrived. It remains one of the most extraordinary examples of community enterprise in the Cope story.
The SS Better Hope becomes the first Cope boat, transporting goods and helping connect coastal communities across the Rosses and beyond.
The Cope’s use of sea transport became an important part of its supply network. Paddy eventually operated a fleet of vessels, helping move essential goods at a time when road and rail links could be limited or disrupted.
The Annagry branch opens, improving access to everyday goods and strengthening The Cope’s presence across the Rosses.
Annagry became one of The Cope’s longest-running branch locations and would evolve through several retail formats over the decades.
The Cope begins generating electricity from the Mill, bringing electric power to Dungloe more than 30 years before the ESB network arrives.
The locally generated supply became one of The Cope’s most remarkable services, producing electricity for homes, businesses and public lighting until the ESB took over in 1956.
Funding secured by Paddy the Cope helps extend Dungloe Pier, improving access for goods, fuel and farming supplies.
The improved pier strengthened The Cope’s ability to move goods by sea and supported the wider commercial life of Dungloe and the Rosses.