The Houses of Guinness Walking Tour

The Mansion House has been the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin since 1715 and Benjamin Lee Guinness held the title 1851-1852.

We will see at the statue of William Conyngham Plunket, 4th Baron Plunket (26 August 1828 – 1 April 1897). He married Anne Lee Guinness, daughter of Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness in 1863. He was Dean of Christ Church Cathedral and Archbishop of Dublin in the Church of Ireland.

St Stephen's Green is a historical park and garden, located in the centre of Dublin. It dates back to 1663 but the present park was extensively remodelled through the generosity of Arthur Edward Guinness, 1st Baron Ardilaun, 1n 1880. Beside the park we will view Iveagh House, owned and lived in on various occasions by the Guinness family from 1862 to 1939.

A well-preserved library of the late Renaissance and early Enlightenment, Marsh's Library opened in 1707 as the first public library in Ireland. It was built to the order of Archbishop Narcissus Marsh and has a collection of over 25,000 books and 300 manuscripts.

Saint Patrick's Cathedral is the national cathedral of the Church of Ireland. It was extensively restored in the 19th century through the generosity of the Guinness family.

Adjoining St. Patrick's Cathedral, St Patrick's Park is believed to be the site of baptism of the first Irish Christians by St. Patrick in the 5th century. From here we will view the magnificent housing and educational facilities built by Lord Iveagh (Edward Guinness) for the poor of Dublin.

Constructed in the early 13th century on the site of a Viking settlement, Dublin Castle served for centuries as the headquarters of English, and later British, administration in Ireland. (We will view the castle from outside the walls as the complex is closed to the public from May 2026 due to Ireland's hosting of the EU presidency).

Next, we will pass through Temple Bar to cross over the River Liffey (once the main transport route from the Brewery to the ships that brought Guinness to the wider world).

The founder of the Guinness Brewery Sir Arthur Guinness married his wife Olivia Whitmore here in 1761.