DISCOVER THE GUINNESS STORY

THE GUINNESS ARCHIVE IS HOME TO THE HISTORY, CULTURE AND MEMORY OF GUINNESS FROM 1759 TO THE PRESENT DAY

A person pointing at an old black and while image of a tunnel to another person

THE STORY OF GUINNESS

The story of Guinness is a living one. It is one that started with such optimism that its founder, Arthur Guinness, signed a 9,000-year lease on St. James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin.
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SETTLE INTO GUINNESS

Guinness has a rich and unique history. The Archive tells the story of the brand, the brewery, and its people while reflecting societal developments over three centuries.

DISCOVER YOUR GUINNESS LEGACY

The Guinness Archive has partnered with Ancestry to digitise and make available over 1.6 million historical records that capture the people of the Guinness. Does Guinness run in your family? Is there a family pub in your lineage or do you want to explore the history of your local? Connect with your family history through the archives collections.
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TRANSPORTING GUINNESS

The global success of Guinness during its first 150 years presented significant transportation challenges. Learn how Guinness consistently sought innovative transport solutions to meet ever-increasing demand across the world.
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LOVELY DAY FOR A GUINNESS

The quality of Guinness is reflected in the quality of its imaginative advertising. Explore the evolution of Guinness advertising and the story behind some of the public’s favourite campaigns.
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THE GOODNESS OF GUINNESS

Arthur Guinness’ philanthropic spirit is so instilled in the Guinness tradition that it has been passed down through the generations and continues to burn brightly within the brand today.
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THE GUINNESS ARCHIVE AT ST. JAMES’S GATE

The Guinness Archive tells the stories of its founders, its people and the brand. The team collects, preserves, and makes accessible rich records and artefacts from 1759 to the present day. The collections are used by a broad range of people with diverse interests, including marketing communities, economic and brewing historians, local historians, collectors, and family history researchers.
Archive session in the research room, two women with label ledger and Gilroy painting.
WHAT WE DO

MEET THE ARCHIVE TEAM

A team of professional archivists bring the Guinness Archive to life. Curating the Guinness Archive from St. James’s Gate – home of the Archive – the team ensures that the archive is constantly evolving and remains a vibrant, living entity.
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Two coopers at work steaming a cask, 1948.
GALLERIES

A VISUAL HISTORY OF GUINNESS

Guinness is known the world over for its striking imagery - from its award-winning advertising to its instantly recognisable branding. Browse through some of the images that evoke the history of Guinness.
SEE OUR GALLERIES
Behind The Guinness Gates podcast artwork, with St James Gate in the background
PODCAST

BEHIND THE GUINNESS GATES

The Guinness Archive Podcast brings you deep into the archives of the Guinness collections to uncover the people and the stories behind the brand. Hosted by Irish historian, Turtle Bunbury, and featuring interviews with Guinness Flavour Essence Manager, Kate Curran, as well as cultural collaborators and authors such as Liz Gillis and Cathy Scuffil, Mango and Niall Sabongi, the 8-episode podcast is an audio journey into the heart of Guinness, located at Saint James’s Gate. Listen now.
SEARCH THE GUINNESS ARCHIVE

DISCOVER YOUR GUINNESS STORY

Did one of your ancestors work for Guinness? Now you can find out! The Guinness Archive is committed to digitising and making accessible archive collections pertaining to the history of Guinness. This database allows you to search through records connected to past Guinness employees, the men and women that built Guinness. The ledgers and files available here span a variety of record types with entries dating back to 1799. Find your family connection to Guinness now!
FIND YOUR FAMILY

EXPLORE THE ARCHIVES

The Guinness Archive holds a wealth of unique historic records, memorabilia, and other resources, tracing the rich and varied history of Guinness from its first foray into brewing to the present.
Two female Guinness employees at a filing cabinet, c. 1970.
GENEALOGY & LOCAL HISTORY

DISCOVER YOUR GUINNESS STORY

The Guinness Archive holds extensive records of past employees and customers. Search our database to trace your family history at Guinness or explore the story of your local pub.
SEARCH OUR DATABASE
An old style glass of Guinness next to a bottle of it
DIGITAL COLLECTIONS

EXPLORE THE GUINNESS ARCHIVE

Thousands of items from our collections have been digitised and are available to view online. Our digital collections cover a wide variety of aspects of Guinness history including advertising, brewing, past employees, as well as broader culture and society.
Explore the Collections
Woman consulting brewing ledger in the Guinness Archive research room.
RESEARCH GUINNESS

SEARCH THE ARCHIVE CATALOGUE

The Guinness Archive online catalogue provides researchers with access to descriptions of our extensive collections and digitised photographs. The catalogue is an access portal to all aspects of Guinness history.
SEARCH THE CATALOGUE
GUINNESS TELEVISION ADVERTS

Archived Guinness Advertisements

Guinness has announced that the entirety of the brand’s advertising legacy, of 548 ads spanning 40 years from 1955 to 1995, have been catalogued, digitally preserved and made available to the public for the first time. The digitisation and restoration of the collection has been part funded by the Coimisiún na Meán Archiving Scheme and launched in partnership with the Irish Film Institute, where a select number of ads are also available.
EXPLORE THE ADVERTS

CONTACT US

The Guinness Archive team is always happy to help! If you have an enquiry about the history of Guinness or want to request an appointment to visit the Archive, please get in touch.