Guinness Archives

The Archive contains over 7,500 linear meters of paper records, over 2,500 press and poster advertisements, 20,000 individual personnel files and over 5,000 artefacts. The foundation document of the Guinness Archive is the 9,000 year lease signed by Arthur Guinness on the St. James’s Gate Brewery in 1759.

The Archive, a treasure chest of Guinness history, is the source for information on all aspects of the history of Guinness, focusing especially on the work and life of the St. James’s Gate Brewery. The Guinness Brewery was the largest private employer in Dublin, employing almost 5,000 just prior to the outbreak of World War One. Our collection of personnel files of past employees is of particular interest to genealogists. We hold the records of over 20,000 past employees from the early 1880s onwards, the date when the Guinness Company first introduced their pension scheme to all employees. The files hold details such as an employee’s date of birth, details of education/ employment prior to entering the brewery, position(s) held in the Brewery, wages earned, payment of pension, and where applicable, payment of pension to the employee’s widow on his death.

The files offer a rich insight into employment conditions in the Guinness Brewery, and also the community nature of employment in the Brewery. Very often, several generations of the same family worked in the Brewery - as has been illustrated in recent Guinness advertising campaigns.  

Employee records can be searched directly on the site in their Genealogy pages (see link below) or by contacting the company Archivist directly via an online form on the site.  Appointments can also be made by direct  family members to view the employee records.