Guinness company van (Photo: Ronald Saunders / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0)
The Guinness company was founded by Arthur Guinness in 1759, marked by the signing of a 9,000-year lease on a rundown brewery at St. James’s Gate in Dublin. From these humble beginnings, the Guinness Brewery grew rapidly, becoming the largest brewery in the world by the 1880s. Today, Guinness is brewed in more than 40 markets and enjoyed in over 130 countries.
Eibhlin Colgan, Guinness archive and heritage manager, traces the early history of the company from the bold business decisions of its founder to the pioneering social initiatives championed by later generations of management.
Guinness has long symbolized community and togetherness, from the adoption of the Brian Boru harp as the official brand logo in 1862 to the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin—now one of Ireland’s most visited attractions—and its role in St. Patrick’s Day celebrations worldwide. The storytelling and sense of connection so central to Irish life travelled with the Irish diaspora, and Guinness became a unifying emblem of Irish culture abroad. Today, it remains embedded in communities around the world, reflecting a modern, outward-looking Ireland.
Colgan also explores the development of porters and stouts as distinctive beer styles beginning in the early 1700s and how Guinness came to be recognized globally as the quintessential black-and-white pint.
Please Note: The Q&A portion of the program will not be recorded.
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