Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny (formerly St. Francis Abbey Brewery and Kilkenny Brewery) is a brewery-turned-brewery-tour located on the "medieval mile" in
Kilkenny
Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilken ...
,
Ireland.
The Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny is the site where
Smithwick's was brewed from the 1700s until 2014. Prior to this, the site was owned by
Franciscan friars who also brewed beer before they were dissolved during the
Reformation in 1537.
The site is a visitor centre and brewery tour that covered the location's history, the brand evolution, a bar and tastings, visual effects including
holograms, and a gift shop.
History
The brewery site was originally a Franciscan
monastery called
St. Francis Abbey
St. Francis Abbey, also called Kilkenny Grey Friary, is a medieval Franciscan abbey and National Monument located in Kilkenny City, Ireland.
Location
St. Francis Abbey is located in the northeast of Kilkenny's historic Hightown district, behin ...
.
During the expansion of
Smithwicks Brewery in 1854, the nave and chancel of the abbey were discovered within the grounds of the brewery. The sacristy was later restored as an oratory at the brewery. The well was dedicated to St Francis and is located about 45 metres to the northeast of the friary and is now underneath one of the brewery buildings. The Abbey and brewery closed after 300 years due to the
Reformation in Ireland in 1537. Many years later in 1705, the land was leased to John Smithwick and Richard Cole, who started a brewing business. The land at that time was owned by the
Duke of Ormond. In 1710, John Smithwick became the owner, but this was not publicly known because according to the
penal laws, as a Catholic, Smithwick was not allowed to own property. Penal laws were revoked in 1782, allowing the Smithwick family to publicly claim ownership.
Many years later, John Smithwick's grandson Edmond Smithwick took over the business. The brewery stayed wholly within the Smithwicks family until 1964, when
Guinness and Company (
Diageo
Diageo plc () is a Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It operates from 132 sites around the world. It was the world's largest distiller before being overtaken by Kweich ...
) bought a controlling share of the brewery.
The site operated as a brewery until December 2013, when all brewing was moved to
St James's Gate
St. James's Gate, located off the south quays of Dublin, on James's Street, was the western entrance to the city during the Middle Ages. During this time the gate was the traditional starting point for the Camino pilgrimage from Dublin to Santiag ...
in
Dublin.
After Diageo moved brewing operations out of Kilkenny, the site was re-opened in 2014 as a visitor center that focused on the history of the brewery and the brewing process.
The visitor centre closed in 2020 due to
COVID-19 restrictions, and it was announced that it was to close permanently in April 2021.
It re-opened in July 2022.
References
External links
*
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Kilkenny (city)
Brewery buildings
Beer in Ireland