Pat Keenan on happenings in and around the capital
When released the Netflix series House of Guinness topped the Irish viewing charts. The black brew that made Dublin famous throughout the world still resonates with us, even with the Netflix caveat: “this fiction is inspired by true stories.” The Guinness family largely shaped our capital city in so many ways. The Irish Times quoting a historian say that the only other comparable city he could think of was Florence and their relationship to the Medici family.
The Arthur Guinness of House of Guinness is not the one who founded the brewery back in 1759. It begins with his great-grandson, Arthur Edward Guinness, 1st Baron Ardalan who ran the brewery business alongside his brother Edward from 1868 to 1876 and also manages to combine it with being the Conservative MP for Dublin in the House of Commons in London. Bear in mind that the Dublin of the nineteen century was firmly part of Britain and Dublin was even seen by many as the second city of the British Empire. But unrest was also present with growing support for the Fenian movement, the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Although their attempted uprising had 1867 failed, the push for independence was very much alive.
Iveagh House, the former residence and townhouse of the Guinness family
Around the same time, William Gladstone was elected British Prime Minister and sought to pacify Irish grievances through reform rather than repression. He was not wholly successful, but crucially he took the idea of Irish self-government seriously, so laying the groundwork for a Home Rule movement. This political backdrop provides the dramatic setting for ‘House of Guinness’.
The worst of the Famine is over, but its effects are still deeply felt. Mass emigration had drained the population, weakened the economy, and those who remained struggled with unfair rents, poor conditions and widespread poverty. All of which made an interesting backdrop for the story of one immensely wealthy family in Ireland.
Born in Dublin in November 1840 Arthur was the eldest son of Elizabeth and Benjamin Lee Guinness, the man who turned it into a world famous brewery. He with his two brothers Benjamin, Edward and sister Anne, were educated at Eton Windsor and Trinity College Dublin, graduating in 1862.
Today his statue aptly sits in St Stephen’s Green Park, a 22 acre public park that he bought, landscaped and gifted to Dublin. Iveagh House, the former residence and townhouse of the Guinness family at 80 St. Stephens Green in now The Department of Foreign Affairs and behind the Iveagh Gardens said to be the least known of Dublin’s parks, some call it Dublin’s Secret Garden. It’s also behind MoLI, the Museum of Literature Ireland and extends all the way back to Hatch Street.
There are tours of Iveagh House, that former townhouse of the Guinness family, enjoy its architectural splendour and hear of many historic encounters in the footsteps of Presidents, Prime Ministers, Monarchs and Bishops. the Guinness family gave it to the Irish State in 1939.
Further information:
And also: www.iveaghgardens.ie and www.iveaghgardenhotel.ie/
Farmleigh House, another residence of the Guinness family is above the River Liffey, northwest of the Phoenix Park and is now the official Irish state guest house and managed by the Office of Public Works.
Guinness to Diageo
In 1986, Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo. The family still hold a stake in Diageo, thought to be worth around £200 million. The current head of the Guinness family is Arthur Edward Rory Guinness, Ned if you are on familiar terms, Lord Iveagh if not. He was born and grew up in Farmleigh House and Estate until he was 30. Farmleigh was another residences of the Guinness family is above the River Liffey, northwest of the Phoenix Park and is now the official Irish state guest house and managed by the Office of Public Works.
Website: www.farmleigh.ie where you can book visits
‘Ned’ Guinness in front of the crumbling Iveagh Market. He is part of a move to restore the Market to its former glory
Recently Edward Rory Guinness (Ned) purchased a new Dublin home, this time, your average artisan’s terraced, two-up, two-down on a street in the Liberties appropriately close to where his great-great-great grandfather Arthur founded a brewery, Ned is the fourth Earl of Iveagh, a title derived from Edward Cecil Guinness, the first Earl of Iveagh in 1919. One of Ned’s two sons Arthur is set to inherit the Earl of Iveagh title. The new residence is also close to his wish to the cause the reopening of the Iveagh Markets, a former indoor market built in the Victorian style on Francis Street and John Dillon Street that was open from 1906 until the 1990s. The site remains derelict despite attempts to restore the site to market use.
Rare phone box donated to The Little Museum of Dublin
One of Ireland’s last surviving K1 phone kiosks is set to make a return to public life, thanks to a landmark donation from Ireland’s leading telecommunications provider, eir, to the Little Museum of Dublin. A century after the first kiosk was installed in Ireland, the K1 the only functioning one of its kind in the country.
First introduced in 1925, the K1 was the first standardised public telephone kiosk in Ireland. This particular kiosk was originally located on Parkgate Street and was later moved to Dawson Street, until ten years ago it was retired. Now, in a gesture of preservation, eir has donated it to the Little Museum of Dublin.
Oliver Loomes, CEO of eir, said “I’m delighted we’ve been able to bring this iconic K1 kiosk back into the public eye, not just as a piece of telecommunications history but as a living symbol of connection. At eir, we believe in honouring the legacy of Irish communications while continuing to shape its future. By donating this rare and beautifully restored kiosk to the Little Museum of Dublin, we are proud to share a tangible link to our past. We’ve also fitted it with a specially adapted phone, so visitors can once again enjoy the simple pleasure of making a call from a K1”.
Prof. Rhona Mahony, Chair of the Little Museum of Dublin board, commented “The Little Museum of Dublin is delighted to act as custodians of this important relic of Irish telecommunications history. Having last been located on Dawson Street, just around the corner from the museum, this feels like a homecoming for the K1 kiosk. Rhonda added “visitors to the Little Museum of Dublin will have the unique opportunity to phone a friend or family member using the now-antiquated rotary dial and AB box, which is a novelty for younger generations raised on touch screens, whilst at the same time being immensely nostalgic for older generations”.
The K1 kiosk was the first standardised public phone box across Britain and Ireland. At their peak, over 3,300 payphone boxes were in use across the country.
Most of these kiosks have now been removed, a small handful have been repurposed into tourism kiosks, defibrillator sites and more recently, 109 electric vehicle charging stations through eir’s partnership with EZO (formerly EasyGo). www.littlemuseum.ie
The Little Museum of Dublin is the people’s museum of Dublin containing a unique and quirky collection is made up of artefacts donated by the people of Ireland, all housed in a beautiful Georgian townhouse at 15 St Stephen’s Green, in the heart of Dublin City. The museum has been since its inception being voted one of the best things to do in Dublin by TripAdvisor.
