The Bowsing Ken

Harp Lager

If you are a local you may just call this place Dún Dealgan, and of course you would know that translated from the Irish, this means Dealgan’s Fort or Dealgan’s Castle. In the epic Ossian poems it was called Dundalgan. Located in the far northeast of the Republic of Ireland, about as far to the northeast as you can go before you cross over into Northern Ireland, for most folks this city is called Dundalk. It is the county seat of County Louth, and is situated on the coast, astride the Castletown River, which itself flows into Dundalk Bay. And, also the place where Harp Lager began.
As described by a certain Mr. Anthony Marmion, in his book “The Ancient and Modern History of the Maritime Ports of Ireland” (printed for the author, London 1858), “Dundalk is a seaport town of great antiquity; and ages before the Danish, or Anglo-Norman Invasion, was celebrated in Irish history.” Indeed, the history of the town, and the surrounding area, reads like a classic Irish epic poem. Far too much to relate here, but a fascinating story all the same, however we must fast forward to the early 1800s, and the brewery situation.
At the beginning 1700s, it was estimated that there were over 35 breweries in and around the village of Dundalk, and out into County Lough. By the end of that century, this number was down to 14, although it must be pointed out that many of the now shuttered breweries were actually simple home breweries that only occasionally sold to the general public for consumption on the premises. These may have, indeed most likely were, still in operation, but just not considered commercial enterprises. One report has it that by 1837, there were only 8 breweries left in town, and by 1846, that number was down to just two. Those two remaining were McAllister’s (M’Alester’s) Brewery of Cambricville, and Wynne’s down on Dublin Street. It should be noted that Dundalk was widely known for its production of cambric, a densely woven but light linen or cotton cloth for which the section of town called Cambricville was named.
In the book “Handbook For Traveller In Ireland” (London 1866), Dundalk is described by the editor as a “large, prosperous town, (pop. 10,428, a number that included some 787 persons, or inmates, in the Union Workhouse up on Ballybarrack Hill) that is interesting more in its commercial relations [of the day] than in its antiquarian features. He notes that Dundalk is an extensive business center dealing in “flax, leather and corn,” and that the town has large distilleries and breweries. Although he surmises “The town itself will not detain the visitor long,” there was a decent church to check out, some old ruins of a Franciscan Friary, and the remains of a Druidical temple, which was partly enclosed by “a curious rampart.” No telling whether Mr. Editor stopped by the brewery - or if he did, which brewery - for a cool ale.
By the early 1900s there were now 5 breweries in Dundalk, and nearby in County Lough. These includes The Castlebellingham and Drogheda Breweries, formerly two independent breweries, located in the county, that were amalgamated in 1890. There was the Dundalk Brewery (the old Wynne’s Brewery under new ownership), Casey’s Brewery (formed in 1889), and The Great Northern Brewery. Not sure what happened to McAllisters, but some records indicate it closed down in the mid-1800s, and the site later taken over by the Dundalk Brewery. All that said, however, it is The Great Northern Brewery that we are concerned with here.

Quick mention should be made that Dundalk was also known for its whiskey distilleries. Traveller and author C.C. Hamilton notes in his book “Leigh’s New Pocket Road-Book Of Ireland (1827, Samuel Leigh, Dublin) that upon approach to the town “on the right a newly-built brick chimney of great altitude catches our attention; it belongs to a distillery of whiskey, a commodity which possesses a peculiar charm for the strong and ruddy-faced mountaineers, who pour into this town on Market Day (Monday) in great multitudes.”
In 1896, a new brewing enterprise was formed in Dundalk called The Great Northern Brewery, Limited. The name was certainly a nod to the fact that the brewery, built in 1897, was adjacent to the tracks of The Great Northern Railway Company, which gave the company ready access to all parts of Ireland. This, along with the fact that Dundalk was a port city, meant that the ales produced could easily be shipped far and wide. Under the initial leadership on Managing Director John M. Cox, and Head Brewer Mr. Bohnam, The Great Northern Brewery began turning out some respectable ales. At first there were three varieties of ale - an amber ale, a light dessert ale, and a strong ale. Of the latter, it was said that two glasses could “knock a man down” while a couple more “could fell an ox.” One journal of the day noted the fact that by 1902, The Great Northern Brewery was doing quite well - paying dividends to its shareholders, which was notable: “In view of the fact that competition is keener and old associations more firmly knit between the trades and already established breweries in the County Lough.” At one time The Great Northern Brewery was the second largest brewery in Ireland, second only to Guinness’ St. James’s Gate Brewery.

In 1955, Smithwick’s Ale, which was founded way back in 1710, in Kilkenny, bought out The Great Northern Brewery, and then in 1960, was itself bought out by Guinness. The folks at Guinness had been looking into producing a lager-type beer for some time, and even brought in an expert German brewmaster, by the name of Dr. Herman Muender, to help them through the process. It was decided to convert their newly purchased brewery in Dundalk to turn out the new product. The result was Harp Lager, introduced in late 1960. Although The Great Northern Brewery site will always be the spiritual home of Harp Lager, right from the start of production a broad group of cooperating brewers, including Courage, Barclay and Simonds, and others entered into agreements to brew and market Harp. Over the years, some brewers left the group, while others joined. As for Guinness, in 2008, parent company Diageo announced that the former Great Northern Brewery facility would be closed, and production of Harp Lager moved down to St James’s Gate. Production in Dundalk ceased in October 2013.
Good news for the old Great Northern/Harp Brewery - shortly after be made redundant by Diageo, the facility in Dundalk was purchased by Mr. John Teeling, founder of Cooley Distillery. Renamed the Great Northern Distillery, whiskey and spirits production began on the site in the summer of 2015.