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AS Ireland’s oldest brewery, Beamish & Crawford in Cork city prepares to close its doors, some of its most loyal customers were mourning its loss. 
By Conall Ó Fátharta 

Although Beamish will remain in Cork, it will be produced in Lady’s Well, where Heineken produces its lager and Murphy’s, its stout.

However, many in Cork feel part of the city’s heritage will be lost.

In the Southside bar on Bandon Road, just a stone’s throw from the brewery itself, Denis O’Leary said he was sad to see the brewery close.

“I’m sad really to see it move. It’s a traditional part of Cork, it’s part of the heritage. On top of that, the loss of jobs is terrible to see,” he said.

Mr O’Leary felt something needed to be done to ensure the old building is retained and also hoped the price of a pint would not be affected by the move.

“You know it would be a sin to demolish it or anything like that. It should be retained, as its a part of Cork,” he said.

Further up the hill in The Sportsman’s Arms, 78-year-old Paddy “Blue” Bruton recalled his first ever pint, and despite the move he has no plans to stop drinking Beamish anytime soon.

“I’ve been drinking it 45 years since I was knee high. I remember my father took me up to the pub on his bicycle when I was seven years old and he gave me a glass of it and said ‘Drink that, it will do you good’. I would have preferred some lemonade but I’ve been drinking it ever since,” he said.

Mr Bruton said he was sorry to see the brewery close and hoped prices would stay low.

“I’m dead against it moving, there is a lot of jobs going to go... I’ll keep drinking it but I hope they don’t put up the price of it,” he said.

Mike Keane praised Beamish & Crawford for looking after their customers by keeping prices affordable.

“It’s sad to see it go. They have always looked after their client. I mean the others like Diageo were always raising prices. I’m a pensioner and Beamish always made their prices affordable and it’s a superior stout to either Guinness or Murphy’s,” he said.

Mr Keane was also full of praise for the company’s treatment of its workers down the years.

“I was offered a job there myself in 1958 but it was shift work involving nights so I couldn’t take it, but they have always been regarded as great employers,” he said.

Niall Kelly also praised the brewery’s treatment of its staff.

“My uncle Johnny Kelly was their longest serving employee. He worked there for 51 years until he retired last March. They were always great to work for,” he said.

Another man, however, decided he was moving to Guinness out of anger.

“If they close the Beamish brewery, I’ll drink Guinness to support the opposition. Out of spite,” he said.

In Cork, it seems, old loyalties die hard.