Matthew Clarke

Thousands of people have contributed to the growth and prosperity of Guinness since 1759. Guinness became the largest brewery in the world by the 1880s and the workforce swelled to meet with demand, becoming ‘a city within a city’. The Brewery required a broad range of skills across brewing, engineering, administration, catering, traffic, tradesmen, and the cooperage, to name a few. The largest group of workers within the brewery were classed as labourers. Labouring staff usually entered the brewery at the age of 14. There was tough competition to gain employment at Guinness. The Company was renowned for its employee benefits, providing workers with pensions for themselves and their dependents, free meals, free medical care, sick pay, holiday days. As a result, many who were successful in gaining employment remained with the Company until their retirement at the age of 65.