The True Story Behind House of Guinness

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The Netflix documentary, *House of Guinness*, premiering September 25th, explores the family story and drama behind the famous Irish beer brand.

This eight-episode series tells the story of Benjamin Guinness’s four grown children, who must manage the famous Guinness brewery and the family’s estates after their father-once Ireland’s richest man-passes away in 1868. The show is set against a backdrop of religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants, and is based on family stories remembered by executive producer Ivana Lowell.

Here’s a look at the real history that inspired House of Guinness.

Where Guinness fits in Catholic-Protestant tensions

During the funeral of Benjamin Guinness in the show, a speaker claims he had a unique ability to unite Catholics and Protestants in the city. This statement is delivered ironically, immediately after scenes of people throwing bottles at his coffin. The series frequently depicts Irish Catholics protesting against the Guinness family, accusing them of being too friendly with the British. Interestingly, the family also engages in charitable work aimed at reducing the conflict between the two religious groups.

During the 1860s, Ireland was under British rule, and the majority Catholic Irish faced unfair treatment. While Guinness was made in Ireland by a Protestant family, the finished product was bottled in England.

According to Steven Knight, the creator of *House of Guinness* and *Peaky Blinders*, Benjamin was a Member of Parliament who consistently supported keeping Ireland as part of Britain.

According to Bill Yenne, author of *Guinness: The 250 Year Quest for the Perfect Pint*, the Guinness family strongly identified with England. Because they were wealthy and involved in business, they had more connections to England than to Ireland. Many family members lived in England, held titles within the British aristocracy, and some even became Protestant ministers, demonstrating their loyalty to the British crown.

What to know about Fenians

The series follows Edward Cecil Guinness (Louis Partridge), the third son of the late Benjamin Guinness, who inherited the family brewery. He attempts to build a connection with Ellen Cochrane (Niamh McCormack), a representative of the Fenians-an Irish revolutionary group that emerged after the devastating potato famine of the 1840s and 50s. The Fenians were a predecessor to the IRA, a later organization known for bombings in Ireland and England during the 20th century.

Knight believes Edward’s action was a peace offering, intended to calm those who might have opposed him.

According to Yenne, the Fenians may have planned to harm the Guinness family. Knight adds that the Guinness family believed their brewery was at risk of attacks and fires from Fenians and arsonists prior to Benjamin Guinness’s passing.

According to Christopher Klein, author of *When the Irish Invaded Canada*, the Fenians aimed to completely break away from British rule.

The storyline where Ellen’s brother is arrested and sent to America is based on the real-life story of the Cuba Five, Irish rebels who were released from British prisons and sent to the U.S. Author Knight explains that Britain hoped the U.S. would take stronger action against the Fenian movement in New York and Boston. However, American politicians were hesitant to risk losing votes from Catholic communities. To improve relations with these voters, the British released some Fenian prisoners in Dublin and allowed them to emigrate to America, hoping this would encourage the U.S. government to suppress Irish attempts to invade Canada.

It’s true – Irish people attempted to invade Canada on five separate occasions during the 1860s and 1870s. According to Klein, the goal was to leverage Canada’s status as a British territory to gain independence for Ireland – a plan that ultimately failed.

Irish immigrants in the United States often collected funds and bought weapons, which they then shipped to Ireland to support a planned uprising.

According to Klein, many Irish immigrants fought in the American Civil War, seeing it as practice for a future uprising back in Ireland. In 1865 and 1866, some of these Civil War veterans attempted to return to Ireland to participate in the next planned rebellion.

The show depicts a relationship between Edward and Cochrane, but there’s no historical evidence it actually happened. The showrunner, Knight, created it to make the story more engaging, famously stating, “It’s something I made up, but nobody can say for sure it didn’t.”

As a critic, I found the season finale particularly gripping, though frustratingly open-ended. We’re left with a shocking attempt on the life of Edward’s brother, Arthur, who’s campaigning for Parliament, and we simply don’t know if he pulls through. Interestingly, the real Arthur did survive, eventually serving in Parliament for a year before tragically passing in 1915. Creator Julian Knight has explained that the show isn’t really *about* Guinness becoming successful – let’s be honest, they’re already a massive brand during this period. Instead, it’s a family drama focusing on how they navigate all the chaos around them. It’s not a question of *if* they’ll succeed, but *how* they’ll survive, and that’s what makes the cliffhanger so effective.

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2025-09-26 01:07