Meet the Guinnesses, one of Ireland’s most famous dynasties
Netflix’s House of Guinness has stirred global curiosity with its lavish portrayal of one of Ireland’s most iconic dynasties. But behind the drama lies a deeper, richer history – one that’s been meticulously researched by the Irish Family History Centre at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum.
In this article, we dive beyond the screen to uncover the real Guinness legacy. Our genealogists traced the Guinness family from early beginnings to brewing empire, leading us to 1868, where the Netflix drama begins.
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The House of Guinness Series
House of Guinness premiered on September 25th with eight episodes. It begins in the aftermath of Sir Benjamin Guinness’s death, exploring how it shaped the lives of his four children – Anne, Arthur, Benjamin, and Edward – and the Guinness legacy. The series boasts an impressive Irish cast, including Anthony Boyle (Masters of the Air), Fionn O’Shea (Normal People), and Dervla Kirwan (Smother). While the drama will delve into the world of these Irish aristocrats, it’s equally important to understand the backdrop they lived in. Here’s a quick guide to who’s who, the political and economic climate of the time, and what to expect from House of Guinness.
Political Climate
In 1868, Ireland was still firmly part of Britain, though unrest had flared the previous year with the Fenian movement (the Irish Republican Brotherhood). Their attempted uprising in 1867 failed, but it left the nation unsettled. The push for independence was very much alive. Around the same time, William Gladstone had just been elected as British Prime Minister. His aim was to pacify Ireland, addressing Irish grievances through reform rather than repression. He was not wholly successful, but he did more for Ireland than any Prime Minister before him. Crucially, he took the idea of Irish self-government seriously, laying the groundwork for what would become the Home Rule movement. This political backdrop provides important context for House of Guinness.
Religion
In the wake of the Plantations, the Anglican Church of Ireland remained the state church despite the Catholic majority. Naturally, this was a source of deep resentment. Just one year later, Gladstone moved to disestablish it, leaving Ireland without an official state religion.
Economy
Though two decades had passed since the worst years of the Famine, its effects were still deeply felt. Mass emigration had drained the population and weakened the economy. Those who remained struggled with unfair rents and poor farming conditions. Modern industry – such as linen production and shipbuilding – was largely concentrated in Antrim. For most of the country, poverty remained the defining reality, which paints an interesting backdrop for the House of Guinness series. After all, they were an unusually wealthy family in Ireland, a far-cry from most people’s reality.
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Meet the Guinnesses
Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness (1798 – 1868)
House of Guinness begins immediately after Sir Benjamin’s death, but it’s important to understand the significance he had to the Guinness brand. Benjamin Guinness was born in 1798, the third son of Arthur Guinness, who founded the Guinness brewery in 1759. He married his first cousin Elizabeth Guinness in 1837, and took over the brewery in 1839. Benjamin was responsible for turning the brewery into a modern enterprise, overseeing the expansion of brewing capacity. This would later result in Guinness becoming the largest brewery in the world. He also chose to focus on the production and marketing of their distinct black beer, dropping any investment in ale. Benjamin was also responsible for exporting Guinness to the UK and further afield, growing its name on a global scale. He was one of the wealthiest men in Ireland by 1855 as a result of his efforts. In conversation with The Irish Mirror, Fiona Fitzsimons of the Irish Family History Centre said this of the brewery:
“[Benjamin] adopted a new business strategy in the immediate aftermath of The Famine, which was for the Guinness company to market share and do that by undercutting rival breweries to push them out of business and then buy up their operations. If you drive through modern Dublin now, from Thomas Street to James’ Street, all of that was breweries, going all the way down to the River Liffey. Within four generations, the Guinness family bought out all of their competitors and expanded their own operation. St James’ Gate then became synonymous with Guinness, but it was previously the location of hundreds of small breweries. It meant from the 1850s to the 1920s, Guinness brewery grew from being the largest Irish brewery to the largest in the world.”
Known best for the brewery, Benjamin was also a notable philanthropist, undertaking the restoration of St Patrick’s Cathedral. He became the first Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1851, and was eventually elected to the House of Commons in London, where he represented Dublin until his death. As previously discussed, Benjamin and Elizabeth would go onto have four children, and it’s these four children that the series House of Guinness will focus on. Given the attention he paid to the brewery, it was incredibly profitable at the time of his death.
How Guinness Won Dublin
In 19th-century Dublin, the city’s major brewers, including Guinness, D’Arcy’s Anchor, Sweetman’s, Phoenix and others, operated under a system of price agreements. These arrangements were meant to keep competition in check by standardising transport costs, limiting discounts and preventing destructive price wars. At first, Guinness abided by these rules, but it soon leveraged its scale and network of agents to bend, and eventually break, the system. Beginning in the 1850s under Benjamin Lee Guinness senior, the company pursued an aggressive pricing strategy that steadily drove competitors out of the market. Over the following decades, rivals collapsed one by one: Manders went bankrupt in 1883, Sweetman’s closed in the 1890s, and Phoenix was absorbed in 1905.
The 4th generation of the Lee (Brewery) Guinnesses
Anne Lee Guinness (1839 – 1889)
The only daughter and eldest child of Benjamin and Elizabeth. Like her father, Anne was a philanthropist. She married William Plunket, 4th Baron Plunket, who would go on to become the Archbishop of Dublin in 1884. As a result, Anne became involved in helping the sick and the poor in Dublin, which is what she was doing when her father died in 1868. She was not left any of the brewery in his will, but she was provided for through her dowry. A philanthropist like her father, she established the St Patrick’s nursing home in 1876. Anne and her husband would go on to have six children together. Her major influence was how her marriage connected the Guinness family to the Church of Ireland hierarchy, which in turn expanded the family’s influence socially and religiously. At the time House of Guinness begins, Anne is 30 years old and married. She is played by Emily Fairn in the TV series, best known for her roles in Black Mirror and The Responder.
Arthur Edward Guinness (1840 – 1915)
Arthur was educated at Eton and Trinity College Dublin. In 1868 he succeeded his father as the second Baronet Guinness of Ashford. He was named as one of the primary inheritors of the brewery when his father died, but would go on to sell his shares to his younger brother Edward in 1876. He would then dedicate his life to politics. Arthur is perhaps best known for giving St Stephen’s Green Park over for public use, after purchasing and landscaping it. It’s been a landmark in Dublin ever since. He also had a lot of land and spent a lot of time living amongst his tenants on his estates during The Land War, a time where the Irish were seeking fair rents, fixity of tenure, and freedom to sell their tenancy. Arthur tried to be a fair landlord, but ultimately did evict tenants when they demanded cuts in their rent, or didn’t pay their rent, and was heavily criticised for his role in their suffering. He married in 1871, but never had any children. Arthur is played by Anthony Boyle, most recently seen in mini-series Say Nothing.
Benjamin Guinness (1842 – 1900)
The middle son of Sir Benjamin and Elizabeth, Benjamin did not get involved in the family business, despite being his father’s namesake. Instead, he became a Captain in the Royal Horse Guards in England and spent most of his life in Britain. He inherited less shares of the brewery than his two brothers, It’s not entirely clear why, but it might have had something to do with his interests in the military. As a result, he might have been considered less suited for business operations. There are also theories that due to ill health, he was not considered strong enough to handle the responsibility. From the trailer of the Netflix drama, there is a scene revealing that the business has been predominantly left to Arthur and Edward, with Anne going to take her brother Benjamin’s hand in support. Benjamin is played by Fionn O’Shea in the Netflix drama, best known for playing Jamie in Normal People.
Edward Guinness (1847 – 1927)
Edward was the youngest child of his parents. Ultimately he would inherit the Guinness brewery in full. After Sir Benjamin’s death, Edward assisted his brother in expanding. Under their supervision, Guinness went from being a very large brewery to the biggest in the world. Sales boomed in Ireland, Britain, and abroad. In 1879 the brewery was producing the equivalent of 244 million pints a year. By 1886, this number had jumped to 392 million pints. Today, Guinness produces approximately 14.6 billion pints a year – and arguably, this huge success is down to this point in the Guinness family history. At a certain point in time, Edward was one of the richest men in Ireland. He married his third cousin Adelaide Maria Guinness in 1873; this helped concentrate family wealth and maintain tight control of the brewery before it became a public company. They went on to have three children together. English actor Louis Partridge takes on the role of Edward, known for Enola Holmes, Disclaimer and Pistol.
House of Guinness | The Family Tree
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