Beamish and Crawford

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The Beamish and Crawford brewery was founded in Cork, Ireland in 1792 by William Beamish and William Crawford. They purchased an existing brewery on a site that had been used for brewing since at least 1650 (and possibly as early as 1500). Alfred Barnard, a noted brewing and distilling historian, remarked in his book Noted Breweries of Great Britain & Ireland in 1889 that "The business of Beamish & Crawford in Cork is a very old one dating as far back as the seventeenth century and it is said to be the most ancient porter brewery in Ireland". The brewery is situated in the heart of Cork's medieval city, close to the site of the city's South Gate. Beamish was known as a Protestant beer, in contrast to its Catholic neighbour, Murphy's.

Under Beamish and Crawford the brewery prospered and by 1805, the brewery had become the largest in Ireland and the third largest in the British Isles, with an output of 100,000 barrels per annum, up from 12,000 barrels per annum in 1792.

In 1865, the brewery underwent a modernisation programme and was completely revamped at a cost of £100,000. The company went public in 1901, issuing a share capital of £480,000. Further expansion was aided by the acquisition of a number of local breweries in the early 1900s.

In 1962, it was purchased by the Canadian brewing firm Carling-O'Keefe Ltd, who embarked on a modernisation programme at the brewery. In 1987, Elders IXL purchased Canadian Breweries (incorporating Carling-O'Keefe). In 1995, Elders sold the brewery to Scottish and Newcastle.

In addition to their own produce, they brew and distribute a number of internationally known brands of beer.