Ancestry®, the global leader in family history, today announced it has digitized more than 1.6 million historical records from the Guinness Storehouse Archives. For the first time, people can use Ancestry to discover if Ireland’s most iconic brewery is part of their family legacy—just in time for St. Patrick’s Day.
Starting today through March 22, anyone can go to ancestry.com/guinness to see if they can discover their ancestors in millions of Guinness and Irish heritage records – for free. By simply entering a grandparent’s name and where they might have lived, people will be given rich, visual stories about who their ancestors were, where and how they lived, the challenges they overcame, and ultimately how their story led to today.
The digitized records capture details of Guinness’ Dublin, Ireland St James Gate Brewery employees like home address, occupations, names and ages of members of the household, how much money they made at the time, leaves of absence and more. The collection dates from 1799-1939, during a time when Guinness was the largest single private employer in Ireland. In fact, these may be some of the only written records to exist from this period relating to former Guinness employees, and some of the only available records for women during this period.
The newly digitized records make it possible for people with Irish roots to brew up discoveries such as:
- Does Guinness run in your family? It was common for multiple generations to work at the brewery.
- What were your ancestors’ career paths like? Learn how their job titles and salary shifted with the years.
- Which of Dublin’s cobblestone streets their ancestors lived on – down to the exact address – and with whom.
- What pubs purchased Guinness throughout Ireland and the UK spanning from the early 1860s to the 1970s.
“We’re thrilled to give people a chance to connect with a new part of their heritage and fill any gaps in their family trees,” shares Todd Goddfrey, Vice President of Global Content at Ancestry. “With the rich history of Guinness, digitizing these records allows people to explore an entirely new side of their culture–no matter how much they currently know about their background. Our partnership with Guinness has been a decade-long endeavor and we are excited to bring it to Ancestry this St. Patrick’s Day.”
“Guinness is at the heart of Irish history, making our partnership with Ancestry a truly special moment in time,” added Eibhlin Colgan, archive manager, Guinness Storehouse. “We’re a brand with a history that dates back over 260 years and has seen countless generations of families employed at the St. James’s Gate brewery in Dublin since Arthur Guinness Sr. first signed his 9,000-year lease back in 1759. And today, we’re excited to be connecting families across the world with their ancestors who have helped keep the magic of Guinness alive for centuries.”
St. Patrick’s Day is a great time to explore your Irish history. To celebrate, Ancestry is inviting people to:
- Explore the Guinness Archive collection for free at https://www.ancestry.com/explore/irish-heritage
- Save up to $50* on AncestryDNA® to explore origins in over 200+ Irish communities
- Try Ancestry free for 14 days
- Gift an Ancestry subscription and DNA kit, on sale for $149*, to search millions of additional Irish records
It’s time to pour a pint to your past!
The Guinness Storehouse, World’s Leading Tourist Attraction 2023, gives Guinness lovers the chance to experience the history, heart, and soul of Ireland’s most iconic beer. A visit to the Home of Guinness includes a behind-the-scenes look at the craft of brewing a perfect pint of the Black Stuff, an exhibition and cinema room dedicated to vintage Guinness advertising, and the chance to enjoy a pint in the Gravity Bar while enjoying Dublin’s best view.
The Guinness Storehouse tells the story of one of Ireland’s most loved brands. Visitors from Ireland and abroad discover what goes into making each pint, learn about the incredible brand history stretching over 264 years, its iconic advertising, as well as a tasting like no other. The experience unfolds across seven floors, including the highlight for many visitors – the famous Gravity Bar – where visitors can enjoy unparalleled panoramic 360⁰ views of Dublin city. On top of the standard experience, guests can also enjoy an Academy experience, the STOUTie experience and the Connoisseur experience.
Housed at St. James’s Gate in the heart of Dublin’s Liberties, the seven floors of the Guinness Storehouse were built through a €42 million redevelopment of a 113-year-old former Guinness fermentation plant. Since 2000, the Guinness Storehouse has continually been enhanced, developing its experience to exceed consumers’ expectations. The newly revamped Gravity Bar is the latest example of this. The panoramic bar, located on the seventh floor, has more than doubled in size, and is now structured as a figure of eight, giving stunning views across the Dublin cityscape.
The Guinness Storehouse recently launched the Guinness Brewery Experience, where visitors will embark on an unforgettable journey through the working brewery that has stood at St. James’s Gate for the past three centuries. A once-in-a-lifetime experience, guests are invited into the tunnels underground and to marvel at modern technology at Brewhouse 4.
Terry Bunch
