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Guinness: A Family Succession: The True Story of the Struggle to Create the World's Largest Brewery
The head of the Guinness family tells the dramatic true story of how his ancestors created the largest brewery in the world.
Growing up at Farmleigh, the country house outside Dublin, Arthur Edward Guinness – Ned for short – was fascinated by the secrets and legends that surrounded the early generations of his famous family of brewers.
Against the backdrop of epic and convulsive times in Ireland and Britain, he explores the struggles and passions of his ancestors, who went from obscurity in Kildare to the pinnacle of Irish and British society.
Each generation confronted new challenges until the dramatic events when the author's great-great-grandfather bought out his glamorous older brother and floated Guinness on the stock exchange. Overnight Edward Cecil Guinness became Ireland's richest man.
This is a tale in which brewing genius, sibling rivalry, bounteous philanthropy and astonishing social mobility are interwoven with historic national events, including the Act of Union, Catholic Emancipation, the Famine, the Home Rule movement, the Dublin Lockout and ultimately Irish independence. It is the inside story, as told by Ned Guinness.
"This book is far more than an account of the commercial success of Guinness; it's also a love letter to the city which produced it."
– The Irish Independent
Growing up at Farmleigh, the country house outside Dublin, Arthur Edward Guinness – Ned for short – was fascinated by the secrets and legends that surrounded the early generations of his famous family of brewers.
Against the backdrop of epic and convulsive times in Ireland and Britain, he explores the struggles and passions of his ancestors, who went from obscurity in Kildare to the pinnacle of Irish and British society.
Each generation confronted new challenges until the dramatic events when the author's great-great-grandfather bought out his glamorous older brother and floated Guinness on the stock exchange. Overnight Edward Cecil Guinness became Ireland's richest man.
This is a tale in which brewing genius, sibling rivalry, bounteous philanthropy and astonishing social mobility are interwoven with historic national events, including the Act of Union, Catholic Emancipation, the Famine, the Home Rule movement, the Dublin Lockout and ultimately Irish independence. It is the inside story, as told by Ned Guinness.
"This book is far more than an account of the commercial success of Guinness; it's also a love letter to the city which produced it."
– The Irish Independent
240 pages, Hardcover
Published October 21, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 23, 2025
“Like his [Edward Cecil’s] father, he married within the family. He and Adelaide shared great-great-grandparents [..] Her father was a barrister and MP, but he died when she was only 13. He left the family with no money, and Adelaide described her childhood [..] as lived in ‘grinding poverty.’ It is a phrase not usually associated with a seaside mansion, a team of servants and trips to Paris”
[..]
“The brewery had been producing 236,000 hogsheads of beer a year when Arthur and Ned inherited it in 1868. Eight years later, in 1876, this had shot up to 525,000. [..] This trends was set to continue, and by 1880 the brewery of St James’s Gate would be the largest in the world.”
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📖 Tot me genomen op papier
Vast niet toevallig publiceerde het huidige hoofd van de Guinness familie, de vierde Earl van Iveagh, dit boek over de familiegeschiedenis, precies ten tijde van de lancering van de Netflixserie. Hoewel uiteraard niet volledig objectief, geeft dit boek een mooie weergave van de rol van de firma Guiness in Ierland en Engeland. Waar brouwen al lang in de familie zat en stabiliteit van het brouwproces een sleutel tot het succes lijkt, is het bedrijf ook op vele cruciale momenten bedreigd geweest. En die cruciale momenten waren dan ook volledig verweven met de belangrijkste gebeurtenissen uit de moderne Ierse geschiedenis (1790 - 1930). Niet alleen is dit boek dus leuk om te lezen omwille van de boeiende familiehistorie en de onderlinge strijd tussen twee broers die in de serie ook goed aan bod komt, maar dus ook een leuke weergave van nationale historie.
Hoewel het geld in die succesjaren tegen de plinten klotste, en de eerste Earl van Iveagh op enig moment gold als de rijkste man van Engeland en Ierland samen, mag ook erkend worden dat de Guinnesses een grote bijdrage hebben geleverd aan de minderbedeelden in de stad. De vele rode baksteenpanden rondom de St Patrickkathedraal waar de naam Iveagh boven de deur prijkt vallen duidelijk op in het straatbeeld, maar een goede cynicus kijkt daar toch met argwaan maar. Het boek benadrukt echter dat die sociale woningen en voorzieningen toch wel echt uit gigantische privecontributies kwamen van Ned, die eerste Earl van Ivaegh. Of dat enkel uit een goed hart kwam, de angst voor het hiernamaals of dat de ultieme beloning van verheffing tot de adelstand de reden was, dat maakt dan toch iets minder uit. Misschien zouden Elon Musk en de zijnen er ook een voorbeeld aan kunnen nemen.
[..]
“The brewery had been producing 236,000 hogsheads of beer a year when Arthur and Ned inherited it in 1868. Eight years later, in 1876, this had shot up to 525,000. [..] This trends was set to continue, and by 1880 the brewery of St James’s Gate would be the largest in the world.”
————-
📖 Tot me genomen op papier
Vast niet toevallig publiceerde het huidige hoofd van de Guinness familie, de vierde Earl van Iveagh, dit boek over de familiegeschiedenis, precies ten tijde van de lancering van de Netflixserie. Hoewel uiteraard niet volledig objectief, geeft dit boek een mooie weergave van de rol van de firma Guiness in Ierland en Engeland. Waar brouwen al lang in de familie zat en stabiliteit van het brouwproces een sleutel tot het succes lijkt, is het bedrijf ook op vele cruciale momenten bedreigd geweest. En die cruciale momenten waren dan ook volledig verweven met de belangrijkste gebeurtenissen uit de moderne Ierse geschiedenis (1790 - 1930). Niet alleen is dit boek dus leuk om te lezen omwille van de boeiende familiehistorie en de onderlinge strijd tussen twee broers die in de serie ook goed aan bod komt, maar dus ook een leuke weergave van nationale historie.
Hoewel het geld in die succesjaren tegen de plinten klotste, en de eerste Earl van Iveagh op enig moment gold als de rijkste man van Engeland en Ierland samen, mag ook erkend worden dat de Guinnesses een grote bijdrage hebben geleverd aan de minderbedeelden in de stad. De vele rode baksteenpanden rondom de St Patrickkathedraal waar de naam Iveagh boven de deur prijkt vallen duidelijk op in het straatbeeld, maar een goede cynicus kijkt daar toch met argwaan maar. Het boek benadrukt echter dat die sociale woningen en voorzieningen toch wel echt uit gigantische privecontributies kwamen van Ned, die eerste Earl van Ivaegh. Of dat enkel uit een goed hart kwam, de angst voor het hiernamaals of dat de ultieme beloning van verheffing tot de adelstand de reden was, dat maakt dan toch iets minder uit. Misschien zouden Elon Musk en de zijnen er ook een voorbeeld aan kunnen nemen.
October 16, 2025
Interesting look at the history of the Guinness family and the growth of the brewery over generations. This book painted the family in an overly positive and generous light, I felt. Given that the author is a Guinness himself, this was to be expected, but it really did feel heavy-handed at times.
November 4, 2025
Really enjoyed reading this book about the Guinness family and how they founded the brewery. I'll admit I did read this book after watching the recent Netflix series "House of Guinness" as that show fascinated me to read more about the real family, and then saw this book was being made by the real great-great grandson of Edward Guinness, who is one of the show's main characters. It was great getting to read the history going back to the first Arthur Guinness and how the brewery was founded in the 1700s, and go all the way to the 1920s and the various generations of the family. It also told a lot of Irish history too, which even though I'm Irish-American myself my family came over to the US during the famine in the 1840s and didn't pass on any of their history in Ireland so a lot of this was new to me and glad it was included. Looking forward to reading more about the family and what happened after the 20s, and hoping we get a 2nd season as well.
November 1, 2025
After watching "House of Guinness" on Netflix, I found myself wanting to learn more about the Guinness legacy, particularly its origins, seeing as the show commences from the fourth generation of ownerhsip. Luckily for me, this book was released shortly after the series.
The book gives a detailed account of each Guinness owner with the use of personal accounts and new articles published during their times. The author's storytelling helped me imagine how Irish society functioned during the rise of Guinness.
Now having watched "House of Guinness", I was particularly interested in reading more about Edward, Arthur, Annie, and Benjamin, and the book did not disappoint. In fact, it offered more insight into the characteristics of the siblings and their personal lives. While I wished he further discussed the tensions between Catholics and Protestants (as this was one of the main plot points of the show), I think he did a beautiful job sharing his family's story. Sláinte!
The book gives a detailed account of each Guinness owner with the use of personal accounts and new articles published during their times. The author's storytelling helped me imagine how Irish society functioned during the rise of Guinness.
Now having watched "House of Guinness", I was particularly interested in reading more about Edward, Arthur, Annie, and Benjamin, and the book did not disappoint. In fact, it offered more insight into the characteristics of the siblings and their personal lives. While I wished he further discussed the tensions between Catholics and Protestants (as this was one of the main plot points of the show), I think he did a beautiful job sharing his family's story. Sláinte!
October 8, 2025
This was a fascinating book and an enjoyable read. After watching House of Guinness (which is almost completely fiction) I really wanted to read about the history of the actual family themselves.
It is staggering the difference they made to the city of dublin and the extent of their philanthropy, and so interesting to see how much they have physically shaped the city I was born it. I throughly enjoyed this book and I really liked the tone- I felt i learned a lot. The fortunes of the Guinness have really shaped Dublin for the better.
It also was lovely to read in October, a time when I always miss living in Dublin the most.
It is staggering the difference they made to the city of dublin and the extent of their philanthropy, and so interesting to see how much they have physically shaped the city I was born it. I throughly enjoyed this book and I really liked the tone- I felt i learned a lot. The fortunes of the Guinness have really shaped Dublin for the better.
It also was lovely to read in October, a time when I always miss living in Dublin the most.
November 15, 2025
Enjoyable read! Also enjoyed Arthur’s Round. Not about this is new but it’s well written!
January 2, 2026
This was a very interesting book. I enjoyed the story of all the generations of Guinness men!
January 5, 2026
An interesting read that sheds a light on what the Guinness family stood for from the conception of the brewery and their impact in Ireland.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews