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, 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
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. They include:
+ Breweries in Ireland Brewery (Owner) Town County Founded 12 Acres Brewery Killeshin Laois 2015 9 White Deer Brewery Macroom Cork 2013 Barrelhead Brewery Dublin Dublin 2006 Beer Hut Brewing Company Kilkeel Down 2017 Ards Brewing Company Greyabbey Down 2011 Ballykilcavan Brewery Stradbally Laois 2016 Black Donkey Brewing Ballinlough Roscommon 2014 Boundary Brewing Belfast Down 2015 Armagh Brewing Company Armagh Armagh 2020 Blacks Brewery Kinsale Cork 2013 Brehon Brewhouse Carrickmacross Monaghan 2014 Brú Brewery Trim Meath 2013 (bought out by Galway Bay Brewery) Bullhouse Brewing Company Belfast Antrim 2016 Kinnegar Brewing Rathmullan Donegal 2011 Lacada Brewery Portrush Antrim 2015 Bridewell Brewery Clifden Galway 2006 Burren Brewery Lisdoonvarna Clare 2011 Canvas Brewery Aglish Tipperary 2018 Spade Town Brewery Lurgan Armagh 2021 Carlingford Brewing Company Carlingford Louth 2014 Farmageddon Brewing Company Comber Down 2014 Carlow Brewing Company Bagenalstown Carlow 1996 Crafty Divils Killorglin Kerry 2014 Crew Brewing Company Limerick City Limerick 2020 Donegal Brewing Company Ballyshannon Donegal 2011 Dungarvan Brewing Dungarvan Waterford 2010 Eight Degrees Brewing Mitchelstown Cork 2010 Five Lamps C&C Group Clonmel County Tipperary 2014 Four Provinces Brew. Co. Kimmage Dublin 2014 Franciscan Well Brewery(Molson Coors) Cork Cork 1998 Galway Bay Brewery Galway Galway 2005 Galway Hooker Brewery Oranmore Galway 2006 Guinness (Diageo) Dublin Dublin 1759 Hope Craft Brewery Dublin Dublin 2016 Heaney Farmhouse Brewery (Heaney Brewing Company) Bellaghy Londonderry 2016 Hercules Brewing Company Belfast Down 2014 Hilden Brewery Lisburn Antrim 1981 Inishmacsaint Brewing Company(Fermanagh Beer Company) Derrygonnelly Fermanagh 2010 Killarney Brewing Company Killarney Kerry 2015 Lough Gill Brewery Sligo Sligo 2015 Manor Brewing Company Manor Kilbride Wicklow 2013 Rye River Brewing CompanyCelbridge Kildare 2014 Mescan Brewery Kilsallagh Mayo 2013 Metalman Brewing Company Waterford Waterford 2010 Muckish Mountain Brewery Creeslough Donegal 2014 McCracken’s Portadown Armagh 2018 Heineken Cork Cork 1856 (as Murphy's) O Brother Brewing Kilcool Wicklow 2014 Porterhouse Brewing Company, The Dublin Dublin 1989 Rascals Brewing Company Rathcoole Dublin 2013 Reel Deel Brewery Crossmolina Mayo 2014 Rising Sons Brewery Cork Cork 2012 Rough Brothers Brewing Derry Londonderry 2018 St. Mel's Brewing Company Longford Longford 2014 Torc Brewing Killarney Kerry 2014 Trouble Brewing Kill Kildare 2009 West Kerry Brewery (Beoir Chorca Dhuibhne) Ballyferriter Kerry 2008Western Herd Brewing Company LtdKilmaleyClare2015 Whitewater Brewing Company Ltd. Castlewellan Down 1996 Whitefield Brewery Templemore Tipperary 1996 (renamed from White Gypsy in 2020) White Hag Brewery, The Ballymote Sligo 2014 Wicklow Brewery, The Redcross Wicklow 2014 Wicklow Wolf Brewing Company Newtownmountkennedy Wicklow 2014 Wood Key Brewing Dublin Dublin 2015 YellowBelly BeerWexford Wexford 2015
Notes on mergers and defunct breweries
Achill Island Brewery, Achill Island, Bunacurry, Mayo, 2014-2017 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 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. In late 2021, Brú Brewery and Galway Bay Brewery merged, but announced that brewing would continue in both breweries. J.W. Sweetman, 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 ▪︎ Hillstown Brewery, Randalstown ceased operation mid 2021.
See also
Beer in Ireland Beer in Northern Ireland
References
External links Irish Brewers Association Independent Craft Brewers of Ireland