Sod turned on Diageo’s new €200m brewery in Co Kildare

The sod has been turned on Guinness producer Diageo’s new €200m state-of-the-art carbon neutral brewery in Littleconnell, Newbridge in Co Kildare.

The start of construction comes two months after sole objector to the brewery, John Lynch, withdrew his High Court challenge seeking to quash An Bord Pleanála’s December green light for the project.

Mr Lynch withdrew his proceedings after successful mediation talks with Guinness producer Diageo.

Plans were first lodged for the brewery in July 2022 and a Diageo spokeswoman said that “the target date for the brewery to begin production is 2026 and it will facilitate the growth of overall beer exports from Ireland”.

“It will also facilitate enhanced capacity for the production of the fast-growing Guinness 0.0 at the traditional home of Guinness at St James’s Gate in Dublin,” she added.

The new facility will brew lagers and ales including Rockshore, Harp, Hop House 13, Smithwick’s, Kilkenny and Carlsberg.

Category Head – Global Beer Supply at Diageo Colin O’Brien, said: “Following the announcement of our plans to construct this new brewery in 2022, we are delighted to have reached this significant landmark through the beginning of construction works. As a global business this new brewery is a major development for Diageo in Ireland and around the world”.

At the sod turning ceremony, Minister of State for Agriculture and TD for Kildare South Martin Heydon, said: “This €200m investment by Diageo is hugely important and is great news for Ireland’s food and drink industry and also for the local economy and community here in Kildare.”

Kildare County Council CEO Sonya Kavanagh said “it is a real vote of confidence for the entire county to have such a major company that produces iconic brands locating a brand-new facility here in Kildare”.

The new brewery for Littleconnell is to provide a major jobs boost to the Kildare area providing up to 1,000 jobs during the 20 month construction period and will lead to the creation of a further 70 jobs when operational.

Kildare Co Council had granted planning permission for the project in March 2023 but the brewery plan was stalled after Mr Lynch and a man at the centre of RTÉ Investigates allegations concerning payoffs to objectors in the planning system, John Callaghan through his Sustainability 2050 entity, separately appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanála.

Mr Callaghan withdrew his appeal on 23 November last prior to the appeals board grant of permission in December.

Reporting by Gordon Deegan