List of breweries in Ireland

Sign at the Market Street entrance of the St James's Gate Brewery in Dublin

This is a list of breweries in Ireland. Brewing has a long history in Ireland; the country's largest city, Dublin, is home to one of the largest breweries in the world, St James's Gate Brewery, founded by Arthur Guinness more than 250 years ago.

With Irish people being the world's sixth biggest drinkers of beer,[1] there has been plenty of opportunity for new breweries to gain a share of the market, and a wide range of craft beers began appearing in the early years of the current century, produced at microbreweries and in brewpubs across the country.

Operational breweries

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A glass of Murphy's Irish Red.

As of mid-2018, in addition to international/macro-breweries such as Guinness and Heineken, there were 75 independent craft breweries in operation in the Republic of Ireland, with around 35 in operation in Northern Ireland.[2][3][4] They include:

Breweries in Ireland
Brewery
(Owner)
Town County Founded
12 Acres Brewery [5] Killeshin Laois 2015
9 White Deer Brewery[6] Macroom Cork 2013
Barrelhead Brewery Dublin Dublin 2006
Beer Hut Brewing Company[7][8] Kilkeel Down 2017
Ards Brewing Company[9][10] Greyabbey Down 2011
Ballykilcavan Brewery [5] Stradbally Laois 2016
Black Donkey Brewing[1][6] Ballinlough Roscommon 2014
Boundary Brewing[11][12] Belfast Down
(on the County Down side of the River Lagan)
2015
Armagh Brewing Company[13] Armagh Armagh 2020
Blacks Brewery[6] Kinsale Cork 2013
Brehon Brewhouse[14][15] Carrickmacross Monaghan 2014
Brú Brewery[16][17] Trim Meath 2013 (bought out by Galway Bay Brewery)
Bullhouse Brewing Company[18][19] Belfast
(originally based in Newtownards)
Antrim 2016
Kinnegar Brewing[20][1][6] Rathmullan Donegal 2011
Lacada Brewery[21][22] Portrush Antrim 2015
Bridewell Brewery Clifden Galway 2006
Burren Brewery Lisdoonvarna Clare 2011
Canvas Brewery[23] Aglish Tipperary 2018
Spade Town Brewery Lurgan Armagh 2021
Carlingford Brewing Company Carlingford Louth 2014
Farmageddon Brewing Company[24][25] Comber Down 2014
Carlow Brewing Company[1][6] Bagenalstown Carlow 1996
Crafty Divils[6] Killorglin Kerry 2014
Crew Brewing Company Limerick City Limerick 2020
Donegal Brewing Company[26] Ballyshannon Donegal 2011
Dungarvan Brewing[6][17][15] Dungarvan Waterford 2010
Eight Degrees Brewing
[1][6][27][17]
Mitchelstown Cork 2010
Five Lamps
C&C Group[28]
Clonmel County Tipperary 2014
Four Provinces Brew. Co.[1] Kimmage Dublin 2014
Franciscan Well Brewery
(Molson Coors)[1][29][17][15]
Cork Cork 1998
Galway Bay Brewery[1] Galway Galway 2005
Galway Hooker Brewery[6] Oranmore Galway 2006
Guinness
(Diageo)[30]
Dublin Dublin 1759
Hillstown Brewery[31][32] Randalstown Antrim 2014
Hope Craft Brewery [5] Dublin Dublin 2016
Heaney Farmhouse Brewery
(Heaney Brewing Company)
[33][34][35][36]
Bellaghy Londonderry 2016
Hercules Brewing Company
(brewers of the Yardsman range)[37][38]
Belfast Down
(on the County Down side of the River Lagan)
2014
Hilden Brewery[39][40][41] Lisburn Antrim 1981
Inishmacsaint Brewing Company
(Fermanagh Beer Company)[42]
Derrygonnelly Fermanagh 2010
Killarney Brewing Company[6] Killarney Kerry 2015
Lough Gill Brewery[1][6][15] Sligo Sligo 2015
Manor Brewing Company[6] Manor Kilbride Wicklow 2013
Rye River Brewing Company[6][17] Celbridge Kildare 2014
Mescan Brewery[1][43] Kilsallagh Mayo 2013
Metalman Brewing Company[1][6] Waterford Waterford 2010
Muckish Mountain Brewery[44] Creeslough Donegal 2014
McCracken’s[45] Portadown Armagh 2018
Heineken[46] Cork Cork 1856 (as Murphy's)[47]
O Brother Brewing[6][15] Kilcool Wicklow 2014
Porterhouse Brewing Company, The[6] Dublin Dublin 1989
Rascals Brewing Company[1][6][17] Rathcoole Dublin 2013
Reel Deel Brewery[1] Crossmolina Mayo 2014
Rising Sons Brewery[17] Cork Cork 2012
Rough Brothers Brewing[48][49][50] Derry Londonderry 2018
St. Mel's Brewing Company[1] Longford Longford 2014
Torc Brewing[51] Killarney Kerry 2014
Trouble Brewing[1][6] Kill Kildare 2009
West Kerry Brewery (Beoir Chorca Dhuibhne)[1][6] Ballyferriter Kerry 2008
Western Herd Brewing Company Ltd Kilmaley Clare 2015
Whitewater Brewing Company Ltd.[1] Castlewellan Down 1996
Whitefield Brewery[6] Templemore Tipperary 1996 (renamed from White Gypsy in 2020)
White Hag Brewery, The[1][6][15] Ballymote Sligo 2014
Wicklow Brewery, The[6] Redcross Wicklow 2014
Wicklow Wolf Brewing Company[1][6] Newtownmountkennedy Wicklow 2014
Wood Key Brewing[52] Dublin Dublin 2015
YellowBelly Beer[15] Wexford Wexford 2015

Notes on mergers and defunct breweries

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  • Achill Island Brewery, Achill Island, Bunacurry, Mayo, 2014-2017 [53]
  • Beamish and Crawford (Heineken), Cork, 1792–2009 : relocated to Murphy's Brewery
  • Boyne Brewhouse, Drogheda, 2016–2019, some brands bought by O'Haras and resumed[54]
  • Carrig Brewery, Drumshanbo, active from 2011–2019, merged with Brú Brewery in 2019 and the brewing operation moved to the latter's brewery in 2019.[55] In late 2021, Brú Brewery and Galway Bay Brewery merged, but announced that brewing would continue in both breweries.[56]
  • J.W. Sweetman,[6] established under that ownership in 2013 as a Dublin brewpub in 2013, has changed ownership.
  • Lett's Brewery, Enniscorthy, 1864–1956. Still licensed and firm still exists but brewery inoperative.
  • Macardle Moore Brewery (Diageo), Dundalk - 1850-2000
  • Smithwick's (Diageo), Kilkenny, 1710–2013 : relocated to St. James's Gate

See also

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References

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