474 THE BREWING INDUSTRY IN IRELAND. 



public Company with a share capital of ;;^ 190,000 and ;6^ 100,000 4.]/^ per 

 cent. Debenture Stock. The Company also acquired extensive makings 

 at Monasterevan, Sallins, Ballyroe, and Skerries, and are large consumers of 

 home grown barley. 



The Anchor Brewery, Usher Street, is one of the oldest breweries exist- 

 ing in Dublin, having been founded so far back as 

 The 1740- The present proprietors, Messrs. John D'Arcy 



Anchor Brewery, and Son, Ltd., have in their possession the title deeds 

 of Messrs. Kavanagh and Brett who were the owners 

 in 1782. Up to that time it would appear the liquor brewed in Dublin was 

 ale and light beer, and the following advertisement cut from Saunder's 

 News-Letter, published in Dublin in 1798, is interesting as fixing the date 

 when the popular drink, for which Dublin has since become famous, was first 

 brewed there : — " They {i.e., Messrs. Kavanagh and Brett) are brewing under 

 the direction of Mr. Chas. Page of London, Porter of a very superior quality, 

 which will be found on trial to equal, any imported from England." 



From Messrs. Kavanagh and Brett the Brewery passed nto the hands of 

 Mr. John Dominick Byrne, a practical brewer and excellent man of business 

 who considerably increased the output, and, on his retirement in 181 8, the 

 premises were purchased by Mr. John D'Arcy for a sum of ;;^3 5,000, which 

 proves that, in those days of many breweries, the business must have been 

 one of the largest in the city. Mr. D'Arcy was succeeded by his son, the late 

 Mr. Matthew P. D'Arcy, in 1864, who added considerably to the property in 

 land, buildings and plant. The premises now extend over 5 acres, and it is, 

 in fact, one of the largest concerns of the kind in the United Kingdom. On 

 the death, in 1889, of Mr. Matthew D'Arcy, M.P., who was a very well known 

 public man, his sons Messrs. William M. D'Arcy and James F. D'Arcy, con- 

 tinued the business which they converted into a private Limited Liability 

 Company in 1896. 



The principal trade of this brewery has always been in Ireland, but the 

 export business has not been neglected, and the quantity shipped last year 

 amounted to close on 16,000 Hhds. The firm finds employment for over 

 300 people, and is capable of turning out 250,000 barrels annually. It 

 may be mentioned that this firm have always been noted for the very 

 high class of horses (all Irish bred) which they use. These horses, one of 

 which is shown in an illustration, have won no less than ten first prizes at 

 the annual Spring Show held at Ball's Bridge, Dublin, as well as the 

 Guinness Championship Cup, for the best horse and vehicle, on three dif- 

 ferent occasions. 



One of the oldest, if not the oldest firm in Dublin, is the Ardee Street 

 Brewery, the property of Messrs. Watkins and Co., 



The Ardee Street the proprietors being Mr. Wellington Darley and 

 Brewery. Mr. Alfred Darley. Watkins' Brewery can lay claim 



to great antiquity, for, from papers held by the firm, it 

 is believed that the site of the present brewery is the same as the site of the 

 Brew House of the Monastery of St. Thomas at the time when the Monas- 

 tery owned the " Liberties " of Dublin. On the suppression of the 

 Monastery in 1536 their property was granted to the Earl of Meath, under 

 whom Messrs. Watkins hold leases dating so far back as 1691, and it is 

 believed that brewing has been carried on continuously in the same place 

 since 1536. 



In the year 1766, when there were forty brewers in Dublin paying Excise 



