Step Inside The Story
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Descendant of a brewing dynasty. Chairman of the Iveagh Trust. Charming host and true raconteur. Rory Guinness wears many hats. As the eyes of the world rest on the House of Guinness, NoteWorthy talks to one of Ireland’s consummate storytellers about family, legacy and opening doors.
Unlike the beer itself, there’s very little that’s black and white about a journey across Dublin with Rory Guinness. Going far beyond a behind-the-scenes visit to the Storehouse itself, though that often features, he calls into favourite pubs, leads the way to the lesser-seen nooks of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and pauses at the former private family playground of Benjamin Lee Guinness, now a public space. “What I do is welcome people into the world of Guinness,” he explains. “It’s a world that mixes up hops, yeast and barley, with history, politics and a lot of laughter. It’s a world shaped over eight generations.”
In a Dublin pub, you’ll hear incredible stories being spun, half of which you’d never believe!
ON OPENING DOORS
“What Nic and the NoteWorthy team do is introduce me to the most sublimely interesting and interested people, who have some many wonderful stories to tell themselves” says Rory. In turn, he introduces his own connections. He recalls a gentleman who remarked on a personal fascination with Dublin’s storied cathedral. Within moments, Rory had turned the corner and knocked on the front door of the Dean of St. Patrick’s, who welcomed the party into his home for a cup of tea. “The joy of being a Guinness in Dublin is that we’ve got so many dear friends left, right and centre, which allows me to quite literally open doors for people,” he says.
ON THE IVEAGH TRUST
Follow Rory through the entrance of one of the Iveagh Trust’s 1800 (and counting) homes around Dublin, as we often do at NoteWorthy, and the air ripples with conversation, laughter and real warmth. Going far beyond bricks and mortar, Ireland’s oldest housing charity builds thriving communities. “The guests that join me at these houses are always touched by the sense of togetherness; the characters they meet, the histories they hear, the bonds they make” Rory says.
What's wonderful is when people come round, visit our communities and see Nellie’s Flat, they leave a legacy from their visit. They put something back into the community.
Founded by Rory’s ancestor Edward Cecil Guinness in 1890, today the Iveagh Trust is dedicated to ‘paying it forward’. A cause close to the hearts of all at NoteWorthy, each visit to Dublin puts something back, generating truly transformative support for more than 4000 people. In turn, that support becomes everything from festive hampers and care packs, to the keys to new flats that open the door to a fresh start for those who have experienced hardship. It’s a living legacy that builds change, long after guests have touched down on the runway back home.
“I want NoteWorthy’s guests to have loved their time in Dublin. But I’m always keen to impress on them the real difference they will have made to our city, and its people, long into the future.”
