Over the years, the chopping and changing of the taste, temperature and even the style of advertising of the Saint James's Gate product has led to a considerable falloff in its consumption in this part of the world. Instead, the smart boyos of the John Redmond's club have a clear preference for 'laarghe' bottles of Phoenix Ale, expertly brewed for many years in the wonderful city of the Urbs Intacta. For his nightly tipple, An Fear Rua likes nothing more than a few bevies of twelve year old Jameson mixed with Champagne (the favoured cocktail of the famous Young Irelander, Waterford-born Thomas Francis Meagher - 'Meagher of the Sword'- the inventor of the national tricolour), chased by a few small bottles of Smithwick's Barley Wine. Ye can keep ye're fancy bottles of Belgian and Czech beer! As his old pal from UCD, Flann O'Brien, might have caused his working-class hero, Jem Casey ('The Poet of the Pick') to say - if he had any sense - 'a bottle of barley wine is yer only man...'.
Now, however, these past few nights the last few imbibers of Guinness in Golwnacalley are muttering about a boycott of Guinness and, in a way, tis' hard to blame them. They're considering this in response to Guinness's recent announcement of their intention to scrap the jobs of one-in-every-five of their 3,000 strong Irish workforce. Gone will be jobs in brewing, packaging, sales and marketing. The breweries in Dundalk (where brewing commenced in 1683 - seven years before the Battle of the Boyne!) and Cherry's Brewery in Waterford will close completely and those in Dublin and Kilkenny will have their workforces reduced. The much admired 'McArdle's Ale' brand will disappear as will 'Harp' and the 'Phoenix' brand so beloved of the lads in Gowlnacalley.
Guinness Ireland Group made a profit of IR£188 million on sales of IR£907 million last year. But the company blames falling sales in Ireland and overcapacity in world brewing for their decision. Last year, sales of 'the black shtuff' fell in volume by four per cent. Indeed, 1999 was the first year lager overtook stout as the best selling beer category on the Irish market. Oul Arthur Himself must be twirling in his grave beyond in Leixlip - or wherever he is buried - at that astonishing news. Obviously, there have been changes in the market over the years as more young drinkers - and indeed, women - consume more beer. But Guinness themselves must take some of the blame for what has happened. The company was once world famous for the quality of its advertising in Ireland. Then they sacked McConnell's, the Irish advertising agency that devised it, and replaced them with a London crowd of ponytailed 'creatives'. The new ads have made no impression on younger drinkers - for example, another IR£500,000 is to be spent to make a 'go' of the appalling 'Breó' concoction - while older drinkers have been alienated. At this rate, it won't be long until Guinness's stout share of the Irish market reaches what it is in England - three per cent. Maybe a first step on the road to recovery for Guinness would be to give their advertising brief back to an Irish agency.
An Fear Rua believes the rumblings in Gowlnacalley will be echoed elsewhere. In last week's Chronicle AFR had occasion to criticise Bank of Ireland. This week it is the turn of Guinness. At least, he cannot be accused of being afraid to 'call a spade a spade' even where big commercial sponsors of the GAA are concerned. Over the years, many decent people have been associated with Guinness in Ireland. The late and legendary promotions manager, Bobby Howick, for example; the current Corporate Affairs Director, Pat Barry; people like former Shelbourne FC goalkeeper Finbarr Flood; Mark Hely Hutchinson; Paddy Galvin, Gay Byrne's brother Al; Jim Mitchell TD. For many years, the company pursued a benevolent approach to its employees and their families and a partnership approach to their trade unions, though it must also be said, restrictions on the hiring and promotion of Catholics - even in the Dublin brewery - lingered well into modern times. But, when Guinness metamorphosed into the international conglomerate 'Diageo' all was changed, changed utterly and a terrible beauty was born.
Guinness, it need hardly be mentioned to readers of An Fear Rua, has been very good for the GAA. The concurrence of their imaginative promotion of hurling with the bursting onto the scene of a great Clare team brought excitement and enjoyment to unparalleled heights. But, as AFR warned only last, week even the most generous of sponsors should not be allowed buy our games body and soul. An Fear Rua has no doubt these closure decisions by Guinness will not be welcomed by GAA fans. But, AFR knows enough about the ways of the world to know that there is nothing either the fans or 'Dis Great Association Of Ours' can say or do that will result in them being reversed. We live in an increasingly globalised economy where the loss of nearly three hundred jobs in an Irish town like Dundalk matters less than a nanosecond's duration of financial turbulence on the NASDAQ stock exchange.
On the other hand, the GAA in its formative years at least was always concerned to promote Irish-based goods and services. In the free markets of Europe and the world today that is no longer legally possible. However, an Irish-Ireland association such as the GAA has a moral, if not a legal, responsibility in this matter. That is, to at least speak out in protest at what is being done to the Guinness workers in Dundalk, Waterford, Dublin and Kilkenny. An Fear Rua would go so far as to put forward this draft resolution for adoption by units of the Association for forwarding to Ceann Áras:
'The GAA fully acknowledges the immense contribution made to the advancement of Gaelic games through the imaginative sponsorship of Guinness Ireland. Nevertheless, the Association expresses its deepest concern and regret at the decision to terminate the employment of several hundred Guinness employees in Ireland. We call on the company to ensure that every avenue is energetically explored to avoid such a prospect and that where, as a last resort, redundancies are deemed to be necessary, that these are carried out in a manner agreed with representatives of the workforce'.
While in the nature of things the adoption of such a resolution would be of little practical effect, nevertheless it would demonstrate to the workers involved that the GAA felt some sense of moral duty to them, while continuing to accept large sums in corporate sponsorship from their erstwhile employers. AFR well remembers the pall cast over the 1984 Centenary Final by the fact that the competition was sponsored by Fords, who had closed down their Cork assembly plant in controversial circumstances only a few weeks previously.
The latest whispers are that the trades unions are offering the Guinness workers the option of an all out strike. Wouldn't it be a sorry pass if fans entering Croke Park for the All Ireland hurling final were faced with a protest picket of Guinness employees? On that second Sunday in September, when the McCarthy cup, be-ribboned with the victorious county colours and the black-and-white of Guinness, is hoisted by a jubilant hurling captain, at least spare a thought for the Guinness workers who may face a jobless future.
The lads in Gowlnacalley will... and so will An Fear Rua...