A History of Guinness

In 1752 Arthur Guinness was left £100 in the will of Archbishop Price.

In 1755 he went into the brewery business in Leixlip, Co. Kildare. The construction of the Grand Canal opened up the country; casks and raw materials could now be transported directly into the city.

In 1759 Arthur signed a 9,000 year lease on a disused brewery at St. James’s Gate, Dublin for an initial £100 and an annual rent of £45. The brewery consisted of a copper, a kieve, a mill, two malt houses, stabling and a loft.

Ten years later, Guinness exported their product for the first time when six and half barrels were shipped to England. Arthur’s three sons succeeded him and began to expand into foreign markets.

In 1862 the Guinness beer label was introduced consisting of an oval label with the harp and Arthur Guinness’ signature inside.

By the end of nineteenth century, the Guinness brewery was the largest in the world and the company Arthur Guinness & Sons was floated on the London Stock Exchange.

In 1936 the first overseas brewery was established at Park Royal, London. In 1963 another overseas brewery was opened in Nigeria. In 2001 almost two billion pints of Guinness were sold around the world and over one million pints of Guinness a day were sold in Great Britain alone.



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