As millions of people toast the birth of Guinness, here are a few keys facts about the famous stout:
- Arthur Guinness set up his first brewery in Leixlip, Co Kildare, in 1756 after he was left a £100 inheritance by his godfather, Archbishop Arthur Price.
- He later handed the business to his brother and, in 1759, signed a 9,000 year lease on the St James's Gate Brewery for an annual fee of £45.
-Ten million glasses of Guinness are now enjoyed around the world every day.
- It is made from barley, hops, yeast and water that flows from the Wicklow Mountains.
- Poured at an angle of 45 degrees, it takes 119.5 seconds for the perfect pint to settle.
- Six generations of the Guinness family were involved in the brewery management until 1986.
- In 1936 the first overseas Guinness brewery was opened in London, followed by four more by Nigeria, Malaysia, Cameroon, and Ghana.
- Guinness is now brewed in almost 50 countries and sold in over 150.
- The ancient Irish Harp symbol was initially used as a symbol for Guinness, registered in 1876, and later adopted by the Government as the official symbol.
- The Guinness company also produced the
Guinness Book of Records, which originated in 1955 when a bar debate could not be settled with existing reference books.
- The Gravity Bar at the Guinness Storehouse - located 46 metres off the ground - is the highest bar in Dublin.
- Heirs to the famed Guinness family, including model and socialite Jasmine Guinness, will be overseeing the star-studded celebrations of its 250 anniversary at Guinness HQ.
- Diageo, which now owns the brewery, plans to locate a new brewery back in Leixlip.