House of Guinness, the epic period drama, has landed on Netflix today (September 25), with all eight episodes now available for streaming, reports the Irish Mirror.

The expansive tale of family duty, love, politics, and above all, business, comes from the mind of Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight. However, it’s said that the show veers away from the family’s darker side.

The narrative begins in 1868 with the passing of Guinness magnate Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness, marking a new chapter for the company as his children Arthur Guinness (portrayed by Anthony Boyle), Edward Guinness (Louis Partridge), and Anne Plunket (Emily Fairn) start to implement radical changes, steering the business in a fresh direction.

Set in the 1800s in Ireland, the drama unfolds primarily in Dublin, but also features scenes in New York, Cloonboo and Ashford Castle.

Let’s delve into the filming locations of House of Guinness and discover where the TV show was actually shot.

Was Netflix’s House of Guinness filmed in Dublin?

Contrary to what one might expect, House of Guinness wasn’t filmed in Dublin or Ireland, but rather in the North West of England.

Manchester, Liverpool, North Wales and Yorkshire served as filming locations, standing in for Ireland and other settings depicted in House of Guinness.

Executive producer Karen Wilson explained the decision not to film in Ireland: “Obviously, Guinness couldn’t be more Irish – and we carried that responsibility seriously. We spent a lot of time looking at photographs from the period, diving into the research about where Ireland and Guinness were in 1868.

“Unfortunately, very little remains of Dublin that still looks like it did in 1868.

“We quickly realised we’d have to film elsewhere. We travelled the length and breadth of Ireland and the UK, ending up in the North West of England, which had stately homes and Dublin-style streets – everything we needed.”

Wilson added: “I really hope we’ve done Dublin justice.”

Creator Knight shared similar views when he explained the filming locations were ultimately determined by the design team and the director.

He said: “What they are looking for are things that looked most like Dublin in 1868. And the fact is that Dublin now looks less like Dublin in 1868 than other areas do.

“If you’re not in Dublin, you’ve got the whole of Great Britain to choose from, so there might be a street corner in Liverpool that looks perfect, and I think it’s a compromise to insist to oneself you have to go and shoot it all in one place..”

He continued to reveal his other major show Peaky Blinders wasn’t filmed in Birmingham because the city no longer resembled itself from the 1920s. Much of the Cillian Murphy-led drama was shot in Leeds and Bradford.

Knight revealed the decision to film House of Guinness in sections of Liverpool was a “purely practical decision”.

Stanley Docks – Liverpool

Liverpool’s Stanley Docks served as the Guinness brewery in the series and proved to be a vital location for filming.

Producer Wilson explained: “Finding an amazing brewery location was crucial – the show could live or die by how it looked, and finding Stanley Docks was a revelation.

“It gave us scale, depth, and so much that we could use in-camera. Given how many different brewery locations we needed – the stables, the cooperage, the docks, the mash tun – it was invaluable to have all of that in one place, so the characters could move through it naturally.

“We had to bring in a lot, including VFX, but Stanley Docks was the moment we realised we had to base ourselves in the North West.”

The Stanley Docks appeared in sequences featuring exterior shots of the stables, yards, interior shots of Rafferty’s (James Norton) and Edward’s offices, the factory floor, the workshop, boiler room, amongst numerous other scenes.

Croxteth Hall – Liverpool

The historic Croxteth Hall in Liverpool featured in multiple scenes, including the interior shots at Temple Bar, the corridors and outside of Arthur’s bedroom, the probate office, the birthing room and the Hope Street Bedroom.

The venue also served as exteriors for Jude’s Tavern and Iveagh House. Croxteth Hall, a blend of Tudor, Georgian and Queen Anne architecture, is available for hire for conferences and private events.

The property boasts 500 acres of woodland, a Grand Hall, Victorian Walled gardens and various other luxurious suites.

Sefton Park Palm House – Liverpool

The Victorian botanical garden, Sefton Park Palm House, was used for the interiors and exteriors of the Botanic Gardens.

Visitors can visit the palm house from Sunday to Thursday, with the location featuring a cafe and various activities.

On Fridays and Saturdays, the palm house is closed for various celebrations.

Northern Quarter – Manchester

Manchester’s historic Northern Quarter stood in for the streets of New York in the show.

The area is known for its small independently-owned shops, street art, music and unique cafes. There are also markets and vintage boutiques set amongst some impressive architecture.

Penrhyn Castle – Bangor, Wales

Penrhyn Castle in Bangor played the sweeping Ashford Estate of the Guinness family.

Penrhyn Castle is a National Trust property, which people can visit and see the Neo-Norman castle built between 1820 and 1837, a walled garden, 60 acres of parkland and a play area.

The castle offers views of Snowdonia’s summits and the Great Orme and Puffin Island.

Interestingly, the real Ashford Castle is now Ireland’s top hotel, where guests can stay in luxurious suites with gorgeous designs at the five-star property.

Broughton Hall – Yorkshire

The historic Broughton Hall Estate in Skipton, Yorkshire served as multiple locations in House of Guinness, including the exterior of St Anne’s estate, a bathroom and bedroom, Olivia’s (Danielle Galligan) bedroom, a drawing room, stairs, a library and the exterior of Ashford Castle.

Broughton Hall is available for hire for private events, such as house parties, corporate events, retreats and special occasions.

Once again, there are some impressive bedrooms with period details to transport visitors to another era.

Magna Rotherham – Yorkshire

Magna Rotherham in Rotherham, South Yorkshire was used for the interior workshop, factory floor and the mash tun room scenes.

The Magna Rotherham is actually a science adventure centre that families can visit, featuring interactive and immersive science fun.

The centre is in the former Templeborough steelworks building, offering an insight into history, science and innovation.

House of Guinness is streaming on Netflix now

An American real estate agent who groped inside and outside a young man’s shorts in the sauna at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin has avoided jail.

Bryan McNeill, aged 55, of K Street, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, was handed a six-month suspended sentence and ordered to pay €10,000 to the 19-year-old college student.

The businessman had been allowed to return to the United States in March, days after the incident in the luxury hotel.

He pleaded guilty to a sexual assault charge when he came from the US for his hearing in Dublin District Court on Monday, and his case was adjourned until Wednesday for sentencing.

In a mitigation plea, defence counsel Oisín Clarke, instructed by solicitor Brian Keenan, had urged the court to leave McNeill without a criminal conviction based on extenuating circumstances: the early plea, remorse, being a sole carer for his mother, a compensation offer to include paying for therapy for the complainant, his lack of prior convictions and previous good character.

However, Judge Murphy refused, stressing the gravity, culpability, invasiveness and sexualised nature of the touching, and the high level of gross misjudgement and recklessness given the marked age gap between McNeill and the complainant.

Judge Murphy heard the businessman “misread the situation” until the shocked victim stood up and told him to stop.

McNeill did not address the court. His husband provided a letter confirming the accused’s health had declined due to stress, and he had suffered from vertigo since the incident.

Judge Murphy recorded a conviction and suspended the sentence, on the condition that the defendant does not reoffend within the next year and pays the compensation within six months.

The teenager did not attend the sentencing, but his mother was present to hear the outcome and the judge’s praise for his honest and measured statement. Judge Murphy also emphasised that the young man was extremely blameless.

In evidence, Detective Garda Cathal Ryan said the injured party was staying at the five-star hotel in March with a family member and used the gym, and afterwards went to the sauna.

He later reported to Gardaí that an older man sexually assaulted him in the sauna.

In his statement, he outlined to the detective that McNeill was rubbing his shoulder and upper torso with his right hand, and “slid” his hands under his shorts to grope his buttocks from within his shorts and then with his left hand grabbed his penis outside the shorts.

McNeill gave Gardaí an account claiming it was a consensual interaction, but the complainant stated it was not consensual.

Detective Garda Ryan said McNeill, who had been granted €30,000 bail, had no prior convictions in Ireland or any other jurisdiction.

Judge Murphy ranked the offence as mid-range, if not higher, for the jurisdiction of the District Court.

On Monday, the student had told the judge: “I was just enjoying the luxury of being in the hotel and having a general conversation; I did not initiate what happened.”

He revealed that he was in shock afterwards, and it took weeks to process what happened. He could not talk about it when his parents asked how he was.

He said that his family thought he was happier before and is more irritable now. He also stated that he was not ready to face what happened, but wanted it to disappear.

“I do wonder why this was done to me. I am friendly and social, but definitely more worried than I used to be,” the young man had said.

He became withdrawn and believed the assault was partly a reason for failing a college exam during the summer.

The defence said McNeill came from humble beginnings, was the first in his family to achieve a third-level education and “dragged himself up by his bootstraps” from a young age, eventually becoming a real estate agent.

Counsel submitted that a conviction could have “catastrophic consequences” for McNeill in the United States in terms of his livelihood and other features of his life.

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