The Herb Traveler – Ireland
herbsdottir on the go

‘In Dublin’s fair city, where girls are so pretty…’

Dublin's most popular tourist attraction, after Trinity College’s famed ‘Book of Kells,’ is the Guinness Storehouse.

The story of its brilliant founder and his family is as fascinating as the famed recipe for the dark, dry stout and the Nitro IPA ale. 

The basic Guinness recipe includes: malted barley, water, at least five varieties of hops, malt extract, and a secret brewers yeast. The brew touted as having antioxidants beneficial to the heart, and fewer calories than skim milk or orange juice, adds to the fun learning experience at this multi-floored museum!

The story of the two Arthurs begins in the small Irish village of Cellbridge around the year 1759. Cellbridge was the residence of Arthur Price, Archbishop of Cashel, church of Ireland. The Archbishop had wisely hired Arthur Guinness to manage the daily affairs of the Church.  A real friendship developed between the two men.

In his spare time, Arthur Guinness brewed real ale using the Archbishop’s basement and the equipment available to him. During the 1700’s, clean, safe drinking water was not readily available and waterborne illnesses were a regular part of everyday life. Strong spirits were at hand, but caused drunkenness and accidents. A good ale provided a safe, healthy, middle ground choice. 

In 1752, the Archbishop died and left a legacy of over 100 pounds to his manager. Arthur Guinness’ first attempt to begin his own ale business was in County Kildare, Ireland. Guinness began a search for a continuing source of fresh clean water and good soil to plant his hops. During his travels in Dublin, he came upon a dilapidated brewery, Saint James Gate. The property met all of his requirements and he obtained a mind-boggling perpetual lease on the property of only 45 pounds a year. Saint James Gate remains an active Guinness site to this day!

In 1761, Arthur Guinness married Olivia Whitmore. Together, they decided to have as many children as possible because so many children died in their early years. Arthur and Olivia had 21 children - 10 lived to adulthood! Arthur G. died in 1803 (age 78 years) and left his children 25,000 pounds (a fortune in those days!)

Afterwards, three of his sons Arthur II, Benjamin & William managed the business. Arthur II led the Company for almost half a century.  Annual production was 4 million gallons/beer/year. This Arthur was also a bank manager & President of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce.  Benjamin became Mayor of Dublin in 1853. When he died, his third son Edward was CEO until 1889. Guinness became the largest brewery business on the Globe taking up 64 acres. The Company went public on the London Stock Exchange.

Rupert Guinness (1874-1967) was the last of the dynasty. He noticed in his travels that in many of the bars, drinkers were always making wagers about top records. So he cleverly arranged to publish the Guinness Book of World Records!  It became the second best-selling book in the world next to the Bible!! 

The story of this amazing family and their impact on today’s world continues. If you are in Dublin consider a visit to the Guinness Storehouse!