The Buildings
Commercial Buildings
Heineken Murphy's Brewery
Contact Details
| Address | The Kiln Entrance, Leitrim Street, Cork City |
| Telephone | 021- 4503371 |
| Opening Hours | 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. |
Murphy’s Brewery was founded in Cork in 1856 by one of Cork’s merchant prince families, the Murphys. In 1883 James J.Murphy & Co. became a limited company. Located on the north side of the city, Murphy’s Brewery was constructed within the grounds of the 18th century foundling hospital on Leitrim St. The name Lady's Well Brewery refers to a well on the hill opposite the brewery which is supposed to have miraculous properties.
By the end of the eighteenth century Cork had become an important centre of Irish brewing industry. Much of the production in Murphy’s brewery at that time was for the local market with a small export trade to the West Indies. In the late 1880s, the company decided to expand and remodel the brewery. This was seen as necessary in order to take advantage of improvements in brewing technology. However by the second half of the 19th century exports to England increased and Murphy’s Brewery became Cork’s leading porter producers.
Murphy's first brewed in May 1889 is a dry stout also known as stout porter or porter. Porter was a type of beer that became popular from the 18th century. The dark coloured beer was favoured by the market porters in London, hence its name. In the late 19th century, breweries began to produce stout, a stronger beer which soon achieved an important place in the market. The brewers describe Murphy’s Irish Stout as "smooth and creamy, with a subtle bitterness."
In 1889 a new malt house was completed. It was stone built and had five floors, two of which were used for storing barley. The other three were used as malt floors. The cost of the building was £4,640. Today, it is the site for the main offices of the brewery (refurbished and formally opened as offices in 1992). Other developments saw the construction and fitting out of a new mill house, together with a cooling house.
In 1983 Heineken International acquired all the assets of Murphy Brewery, resulting in a new lease of life for the brewery and protecting its valued traditions for the future. In 2001 the company changed its name to Heineken Ireland and currently directly employs in excess of 400 employees.
