Binding: Paperback
Date Published: 09 Jul 2026
THE IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER, NOW IN PAPERBACK.
'A brilliant, entertaining read.' - Irish Times
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, who went from obscurity in Kildare to the pinnacle of Irish and British society.
In this bestselling account, he explores the challenges faced by each generation, culminating in the dramatic events when his 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.
'The definitive history of the Guinness brewing dynasty.' - Irish Independent
'A fantastic book.' -The Business (RTE Radio 1)
'Really, really fascinating. More than a family biography, it's a book that positions Guinness and its commercial story against the backdrop of a city.' - Donal Fallon