Smithwick's Experience

Guided tour of the former brewery. It may have been Ireland's first, as Franciscan monks brewed here from 1221 to 1537 when the monastery was dissolved (no, not in the beer). John Smithwick founded his brewery here in 1705, but his ownership had to be kept quiet until 1782 when Catholics were again allowed to own property. It remained a family firm until 1964 then was taken over by Guinness, now part of Diageo, and other beers in their range were for a time brewed here. The brewery closed in 2013 and became the council offices and courtrooms, but a small part of it has been turned into this visitor centre. Smithwick's Ales are nowadays brewed in Dublin.