With the death of its founder, Sir Benjamin Guinness in 1868, trouble began brewing in the “House of Guinness” as power struggles, generational confidences and sexual scandals started to taint the Irish family’s iconic heritage.
Benjamin Guinness (Sean O’Callaghan) was the grandson of Arthur Guinness, who signed a 9,000-year lease on Dublin’s St. James’s Gate Brewery in 1759, building Guinness into a global phenomenon.
In the 1860s, Ireland was occupied by the predominantly Protestant English and the country’s Catholic population faced discrimination. The Guinnesses were Protestant and, while their stout was brewed in Ireland, it was bottled in England.
Benjamin’s will clearly expressed his dynastic wishes, handing joint control of Guinness Brewery to his two sons, Arthur (Anthony Boyle) and Edward (Louis Partridge). His daughter, Anne Plunkett (Emily Fairn), was already married to an aristocrat, while his wastrel son, Benjamin (Fionn O’Shea), was plagued with significant substance and gambling issues.
What series creator/screenwriter Steven Knight (“Peaky Blinders”) added to this fictionalized ‘Succession’-type drama was the caveat that if either Arthur or Edward declined to run the brewery, he would forfeit his entire inheritance.
Meanwhile, Irish Republic revolutionaries, led by Patrick ‘Paddy’ Cochrane (Seamus O’Hara), are embattled, facing off against brewery workers, managed by fearsome foreman Sean Rafferty (James Norton).
Patrick’s shrewd sister Ellen (Niamh McCormack), who represents the rebellious Fenians (a precursor to the IRA), connives to control members of the Guinness family by unearthing their shameful secrets and threatening to blackmail them.
So we’re eager to learn more about aristocratic Arthur, the eldest and obvious heir, who spent the past five years in London and makes no secret about wishing to run for Parliament, and idealistic Edward, who possesses both the ambition and aptitude to take control of the family business.
Even before their father’s will is read, Arthur admits his disdain and Edward suggests a plan to buy Arthur out for a significant chunk of the profits.
As the eight-episode miniseries progresses and the Guinness dynasty grows, much ‘source’ credit goes to executive producer Ivana Lowell upon whose recollections Steven Knight relied. Augmented by an often-oppressive modern Celtic rock soundtrack, on the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “House of Guinness” is a squabbling, spirited 7, streaming on Netflix.
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Susan Granger
Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in Journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has appeared on radio and television as an anchorwoman and movie critic for many years. Read all her reviews at susangranger.com.
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