Ms Tracey Dalton

Research project: The ‘Guinness Irish Pub Concept': A Case Study (1990 to 2010)

Abstract

This research is a case study of the "Guinness Irish Pub Concept" from 1990-2010. Witnessing cross-national popularity of Irish pubs at the "Italia ‘90" FIFA World Cup, "Guinness Brewing International" saw an opportunity to increase sales worldwide. The "Guinness Irish Pub Concept" was created in 1992 in partnership with "The Irish Pub Company", a sister company of Dublin based interior design firm, McNally Design. In 1991, five typologies of Irish pub emerged from a year of nationwide research, resulting in three, based on pre-existing styles, "Victorian", "Shop" and "Cottage", with "Brewery" and "Gaelic" created specifically for the international market. Authentic interior design, beverages, food, music, and employment of staff of Irish origin were central to the concept which was delivered using an in-house turnkey design and build methodology. The "Guinness Irish Pub Concept" became a worldwide phenomenon in the 1990s and early 2000s. A worldwide economic downturn in 2007 caused decline in its popularity and subsequent liquidation of the "Irish Pub Company" in 2009, with a re-emergence mid 2010s and contemporary survival.  This study uses a methodology based on retrospective interior design practice, utilising in-house archives to explore the design process, from commission to on site completion, and interviews with key participants in the development of "Guinness Irish Pub Concept" pubs worldwide. The research agenda is to gain further knowledge of the historical, social, political and cultural origins of the Irish pub and its evolution in national and international contexts, to understand their spatial and material impact. It will add to knowledge of the ways in which designers have drawn on pre-existing national prototypes to create distinct atmospheres; and identify whether a strategy in the packaging of the Irish pub for export lead to its success.