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.
DISCOVER THE GUINNESS STORY
THE GUINNESS ARCHIVE IS HOME TO THE HISTORY, CULTURE AND MEMORY OF GUINNESS FROM 1759 TO THE PRESENT DAY
READ MORE
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.