{"id":96369,"date":"2025-10-01T06:58:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T06:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/96369\/"},"modified":"2025-10-01T06:58:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T06:58:09","slug":"fact-v-fiction-is-the-netflix-series-historically-accurate-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/96369\/","title":{"rendered":"Fact v fiction \u2013 Is the Netflix series historically accurate? \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Among the scores of people who have binged Netflix<\/a>\u2019s House of Guinness<\/a> to date, and have kept the series at the number one spot in Ireland<\/a> and the UK<\/a>, was the great-great-grandson of one of the main characters.<\/p>\n

Although \u201csurreal\u201d to see his family\u2019s story depicted, Edward Guinness<\/a>, the 4th Earl of Iveagh, disagrees with some of the depictions, though believes the portrayal of his great-great-grandfather, Edward, is largely faithful, describing him as a \u201cstickler\u201d and \u201cassiduous\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Guinness heir had no part in the show\u2019s production, though it was conceived by his cousin, Ivana Lowell, who is said to have been inspired while on a trip to Leixlip Castle in Co Kildare, during which she saw an episode of Downton Abbey.<\/p>\n

House of Guinness was subsequently helmed by Steven Knight, the creator of Peaky Blinders.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0House of Guinness on Netflix review: Wildly unfaithful retelling is like Succession with shillelaghsOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Although he describes the series as a \u201cgood attempt\u201d, Edward Guinness believes the four siblings, Arthur, Edward, Anne, and Benjamin, are \u201cemphasised much more than they were in real life.\u201d<\/p>\n

He makes this observation having pored over family papers, various pieces of correspondence, and the archives in the Guinness Storehouse, for his new book Guinness: A Family Succession, which sets out to tell the story of his family.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt [the Netflix series] makes no ambition at relating to purely fact,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cNetflix is what it is,\u201d he says, though he does credit the show for its \u201cbeautiful photography\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"HouseHouse of Guinness: the Guinness siblings (from left) – Benjamin (Fionn O\u2019Shea), Edward (Louis Partridge), Arthur (Anthony Boyle) and Anne (Emily Fairn) <\/p>\n

Each episode opens with a caveat that \u201cthis fiction is inspired by true stories\u201d, though audiences are left none the wiser as to what is fact and what is fiction.<\/p>\n

While it may have gripped viewers, one of the earliest scenes shows a riot, instigated by the Fenians, causing chaos as Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness\u2019s coffin passes large crowds.<\/p>\n

However, an Irish Times report from May 28th, 1868, details how he was mourned by those of all backgrounds and classes, \u201cas one of the most generous employers and kindest of benefactors\u201d.<\/p>\n

The day in question was in fact a \u201csombre affair\u201d, said historian Dr Kevin Egan, who has carried out extensive research on the period explored in the series.<\/p>\n

\u201cSteven Knight obviously needed something to add to the violent aspect, because that\u2019s one of his tropes. The Fenians had gone underground from 1867, the year before, so the Fenians were not an active force in Irish life at that stage,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

While the presence and activities of the Fenians, who play a large part in the narrative, are inaccurate, a temperance preacher who is shown outside the Guinness gates in the opening episode, reflects a \u201cvery real sentiment\u201d at the time.<\/p>\n

Dr Egan cites a pamphlet written at the time, which \u201cessentially blamed Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness for all the evils in Ireland because of his brewing\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"LouisLouis Partridge in House Guinness. Photograph: Ben Blackall\/Netflix\/PA <\/p>\n

Overall, the series presents the family as being in a \u201cmuch more dominating position than they actually had\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey weren\u2019t this sort of mafia-type family subjecting the populace, that\u2019s not true,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

While senior positions at the brewery tended to go to Protestants, Dr Egan says the unionist family employed Catholics, contrary to popular belief, and created a \u201cfamily atmosphere\u201d throughout all ranks at the brewery, resulting in generations of families working there, including his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Guinness brewery provided the best comprehensive package of social care in Britain or Ireland. It was so well-rounded,\u201d Dr Egan says, describing the offering, which included medical, housing, and dental care at one point as \u201cextraordinary\u201d.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0James Norton on perfecting a Dublin accent for House of Guinness: \u2018I knew if I didn\u2019t work hard, I\u2019d be really exposed\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

A big plot point of the series is that Arthur Guinness, who married Lady Olivia Hedges-White, is gay, which Dr Egan says is \u201clikely\u201d.<\/p>\n

Alongside not having any children, this assumption is based on the couple\u2019s marriage settlement, an agreement made before their wedding.<\/p>\n

\u201cNormally, a marriage settlement makes recommendations for the children of the forthcoming marriage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no mention of children in that at all, which is very unusual and which means that she was going into a marriage knowing that she was never going to have children,\u201d Dr Egan says.<\/p>\n

\"EmilyEmily Fairn stars in House of Guinness. Photograph: Ben Blackall\/Netflix <\/p>\n

Anne and Edward, meanwhile, were \u201cto a certain extent\u201d portrayed accurately, with Edward said to have been \u201cstrategic\u201d.<\/p>\n

Anne threw herself into charitable work, and as depicted, suffered with her health, often travelling to the Mediterranean to benefit from the warm climate before dying at the age of 50.<\/p>\n

Benjamin, however, was the \u201ccomplete opposite\u201d to his portrayal, Dr Egan says. The sibling is depicted as a depressive type, hindered by alcoholism.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t have an alcohol addiction, he had a gambling addiction, and he wasn\u2019t depressive,\u201d he says, describing him as a \u201cbon vivant\u201d, one who loved life \u201ctoo much probably\u201d.<\/p>\n

The main catalyst for the series, Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness\u2019s will, meanwhile, is inaccurate, he says, as Anne and Benjamin were, in reality, \u201cwell looked after\u201d by their late father.<\/p>\n

It is true, however, that he made it \u201cas difficult as possible to break the partnership\u201d between his sons Arthur and Edward.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe obviously wished it to remain in the family,\u201d he says, though they ultimately managed to redraw the terms, with Edward ultimately taking full control.<\/p>\n

Regardless of the inaccuracies in the series, Dr Egan says he is glad it has brought these characters to the fore.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve been forgotten for so long, and I\u2019d hope that people would want to read more and read the truth about it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cDublin floated on Guinness, they shaped the city more than any citizen in its history. There\u2019s only one other family in the western world that\u2019s comparable or so associated with one city, and that\u2019s the Medici in Florence,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

This ranged from the family\u2019s social influence to the physical shaping and urban regeneration of a decaying Dublin city.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the Medici are to Florence, the Guinnesses are to Dublin,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among the scores of people who have binged Netflix\u2019s House of Guinness to date, and have kept the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":96370,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[18,117,7195,19,17],"class_list":{"0":"post-96369","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-house-of-guinness","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96369"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96369\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}