The House of Guinness, a blockbuster new Netflix TV series, shines the spotlight on one of Ireland’s most famous families, which created one of the world’s best-known brands. Why not visit Ireland to discover the Guinness story for yourself?

Arthur Guinness statue in Celbridge, Co. Kildare, where he was born (photo courtesy Brian Morrison)

Much of the TV series was filmed in the cities of Manchester and Liverpool in England, in locations which the producers thought more closely resembled 19th century Dublin. However, Dublin is the place to go to find out the story of Guinness.

Guinness Storehouse, in the historic Liberties area of Dublin, is one of Ireland’s top attractions and was named the World’s Leading Tourist Attraction 2023 at the World Travel Awards.

Guinness Storehouse, Dublin © Diageo photographed by Enda Kavanagh Photography

Visitors can explore seven floors of the Guinness Storehouse building, which was once the fermentation plant of the brewery, to discover more about the famous ‘black stuff’. Learn how it is made, its history and its place in modern culture, and then enjoy 360-degree views of the city from one of Dublin's highest vantage points, the Gravity Bar.

Guinness has been produced at the adjacent St James’s Gate Brewery for over 300 years, and a tour of the brewery is the perfect way to learn what exactly goes into a pint of the famous stout and how it went from humble beginnings to being sold all around the world.

St James’s Gate Brewery, Dublin © Diageo

The nearby Guinness Open Gate Brewery has been the home of experimentation at Guinness for over 100 years and is a great place for sampling a constantly rotating selection of beers, many of which are only available at Guinness Open Gate Brewery. Of course, a trip to Dublin would be incomplete without visiting at least one or two of the city’s famous bars and pubs, where you can sample a pint or two of Guinness while enjoying the local hospitality, often accompanied by traditional Irish music.

Guinness Open Gate Brewery, Dublin (photo courtesy Naoise Culhane Photography)

The Liberties area of Dublin was once home to many of the city’s whiskey distilleries, in fact in its 18th and 19th century heyday, it was home to the largest concentration of producers in Ireland. By the 1880s the area boasted the world’s largest brewery, operated by Guinness & Sons, and the world’s biggest whiskey distillery, owned by George Roe & Sons, both surrounded by many other producers, in what became known as the ‘Golden Triangle’. To this day, visitors can explore Jameson Distillery, Roe & Co or Pearse Lyons and Co, all of which are in walking distance of Guinness Storehouse.

Liberty Belle Pub, The Liberties, Dublin (photo courtesy Dylan Vaughan)

Guinness Storehouse is close to Dublin centre and its myriad attractions, with two of the city’s most significant historic buildings, St Patrick’s Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral, within 20 minutes’ walk.

St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin (photo courtesy Fáilte Ireland)

EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin recently went ‘beyond the screen’ of the new series to uncover the real Guinness legacy. The Irish Family History Centre there traced the Guinness family from its early beginnings to the brewing empire of 1868, when the Netflix drama begins. If you would like to trace your family history in Ireland too, we can help, and a visit to the Irish Family History Centre is likely to be an important first step on your ancestral journey.

If you or your group would like to enjoy a tailor-made tour of Dublin or Ireland, exploring the Guinness legacy and sampling a pint or two of the black stuff along the way, please do contact our friendly team today. Or perhaps you would like to discover some of the backdrops used for filming the TV series on one of our location tours? If so, we can help!