House of Guinness Recap Episode 3: Cloonboo

House of Guinness Season 1 Episode 3

The Great Famine of Ireland occurred between 1845 to 1852, a devastating period of mass starvation, disease, and emigration. House of Guinness gave an all too brief glimpse of it through the eyes of Anne, who journeyed to Ashford Castle at her brothers’ behest to inspect their newly inherited property. Anne, whose conscience had been riddled with guilt since her liaison with Rafferty, was profoundly moved by what she saw. But where the show was more successful in was in the character Sultan (Hilda Fay) — a village leader and healer — bone tired from grief and life, with barely any energy left for anger or skepticism, still fully attuned to her humanity and womanhood, so that when she recognised that Anne of the great Guinness family, the family that now owned their muddy, impoverished village and has not given even a morsel of aid, had suffered a miscarriage, she did not hesitate to help. 

Why must grace always be extended by the wronged? It was not that the Guinness family directly harmed the people at Cloonboo. The late Benjamin Lee Guinness did not even own Ashford Castle at the time of the famine. It was the old owner, Baron Browne, who continued to charge rent through the famine, and when the villagers could not meet their landlord’s demands, they were thrown into the fields, causing more deaths. That was not the act of any Guinness, but their family was part of the social order that allowed the famine to devastate for too long and did not extend enough assistance to lift the villagers from poverty decades on. So, it was not surprising that Anne’s carriage driver arranged for armed security to accompany them, to sit inside the carriage with Anne, to protect her as they neared Cloonboo. 

Anne may have heard of the famine, but seeing its aftereffects in person was a completely different experience. The long, quiet road was littered with graves. The people who walked the streets, who spat at her carriage, still bore the ceaseless devastation of grinding poverty. Through that time, she suffered physically because unknown to her, she was already losing the baby she did not even know she carried. When she could take the pain no longer, she forced her driver to stop, though the villagers were already rushing the carriage. Sultan saw the bleeding and immediately had Anne lifted to the church.

It was on that cold stone floor that Anne woke up. Perhaps she said something whilst Sultan ministered to her, because the older woman already knew that the lost child was a product of an illicit affair. Anne asked about the famine, which Sultan did not wish to discuss. Even when Anne mentioned that she wanted to return when she was better, Sultan remained unimpressed.

Anne did return, and a resigned Sultan walked her to the mass grave where bodies were thrown because the starving villagers did not have the strength to bury them. Sultan lost her husband and five children. She mentioned how one could not cry when starving, but she cried then, and when she walked toward Anne, she saw her in tears as well.

Anne has been showing signs of an illness since the first episode, and Sultan noticed it as well. She said Anne had a weakness on her left. Anne said that her doctor told her there was nothing wrong. Sultan for sure is right here, but she did not argue. She told Anne to go back to her carriage because it was going to rain. Anne declared that she came to help, but Sultan ignored her. 

Anne’s heart was in the right place, but she was a very wealthy woman who was seeing soul crushing poverty for the first time. It was not a devastation that she could comprehend. For the villagers of Cloonboo, rich people were the ones who kicked them when they were down, who pushed their loved ones to their graves. Why would they pay attention to the promised goodwill of a member of the ruling class?

If I had one criticism of the Cloonboo scenes, it was that it did not do enough to put the famine in colonial context. What did the English overlords do as millions starved? Did aid even flow from England? There was not even any mention that food continued to be exported into England whilst the Irish starved. It was almost as though the famine just happened. It felt like treatment of devastating history from a well-meaning but still largely colonialist perspective, it went there, but not quite far enough.

Anne wrote to her brothers (who sent her to Ashford without even checking the security situation, jerks) and proposed that 10% of Guinness brewery profits be devoted to housing and feeding the poor in all their estates. Arthur thought that madness, but though Edward wanted to lower the percentage to five, he saw merit in Anne’s proposal. Indeed, whilst Arthur was busy with his wedding plans (we will get to this), Edward had already begun rolling out his plans for the future of Guinness.

First, there was the expansion to America. Jack Gleeson walked into Edward’s office as Byron Hedges, doing his best to inject energy into a series that could use more of it. Byron was a cousin from the banking Guinnesses, the illegitimate son of Patricia White Guinness who had an affair with a Fenian. Byron casually admitted to having a maid friend spy for him, which allowed him to learn of Edward’s plans for an American expansion. With the certainty of a Guinness, Byron had already secured a passport and a berth on a ship bound for New York.

As Byron explained, Guinness beer would not even make it through the docks without help from the Fenian Brotherhood. Byron had a cousin in the Bowery District who was a member. In him was the bridge that Edward needed, to improve relations with the Fenians. Without consulting Arthur, Edward provided Byron with a letter of authority to take to New York.

Arthur was furious when Edward finally told him. Edward argued that they would not be buying guns and ammunition, they would be doing charitable works, off the five percent that they would set aside from profits. And, that was not all that Edward had planned. 

Edward had a pained Rafferty announce a then radically progressive program called Old Age Pension, which gave long time employees of the Guinnesses continued income even when they reach retirement age. It was a life changing initiative. Instead of worrying about where the money to care for themselves and their families would come from once they become too old to work, long time Guinness workers could now look forward to a relatively comfortable retirement. This happened at a time when the UK did not yet have a similar program, and the workers were greatly appreciative of what they called a mad scheme. Edward, often cold and emotionless, looked pleased when the workers went to the window of his office and cheered.

It was only the beginning. Edward had a whole Guinness Workers’ Health and Benefits Scheme which he meant to announce. His reasoning was practical and business-like – the new electoral rules meant that more ordinary workers would be allowed to vote. If the Guinnesses were loved rather than just feared, the people were more likely to vote for Arthur. As Edward explained to his furious brother, ‘Benevolence equals votes. Votes equal power. Power equals expansion, and expansion equals greater profits.’ 

Edward also wanted to change the Guinness symbol to the harp of Brian Boru, a 10th century Irish hero. Arthur exploded at this. He thought that Edward was submitting to Ellen Cochrane’s blackmail and nudging him to their side, all to save the business. Edward did not deny this, but he also wanted to save Arthur’s name. Edward furiously asked his brother if he were so brave to have everything revealed. Arthur was not, and he agreed to the logo change.

Edward’s delicate balancing act continued with a meeting with Ellen right in the middle of the Imperial Hotel, with all of Dublin society to see. Edward had asked Rafferty to arrange a meeting with Ellen, and Rafferty did so in a very Rafferty way – he had Ellen arrested whilst she led a peaceful protest for the hanging of Michael Barrett.

Rafferty waited for Ellen right there in the cell, and told her he brought her there to concentrate her mind. Edward wanted to meet, and even authorised Rafferty to provide her with money should she need a dress for the hotel. Ellen insisted on her terms of engagement – Arthur open to the Fenian cause – but Rafferty delivered his threat. If they wanted to shut her up, she would be shut up.

Ellen’s appearance at the Imperial Hotel caused whispers – she was known in the city – but when Edward agreed that he knew the effect of her entrance, it looked like he meant she was pretty and turned heads. The chemistry is there; I don’t hate it and I am willing to put a pin on this to see where the show would take it. Edward’s beer pouring demonstration, however, was not the compelling argument he seemed to think it was. But, Ellen did take the drink he poured, and it looked like she agreed to go with her brother to Arthur’s wedding. Edward needed to make nice with the Fenian leadership, but he also needed Arthur to start viewing them more kindly. He meant to effectively ambush his brother into meeting Ellen and his brother Patrick at a society wedding where he would have no choice but to be, at the least, non-confrontational. 

Yes, though the list of prospective brides for Arthur was much shorter than Edward’s list due to what the family called his complications, Arthur beat Edward to the altar. Lady Olivia Hedges-White was the daughter of the now impoverished Earl of Bantry. She came to the Guinness home snooty and all business, her bluntness shocking even Aunt Agnes who arranged the meeting. Arthur, however, was charmed; he liked her almost immediately, and wanted to marry her, despite her making it a condition that she be allowed lovers of her choice, so long as there were no emotions involved, and the servants did not find out. Arthur also agreed to pay her father’s debts and to a much higher annual allowance for her. In her, Arthur found a partner who would be with him through his public duties, but who would permit him his own private space, his own private life and loves.

The third episode of House of Guinness is packed yet well-paced, and it introduced some storylines that could prove interesting down the road. On to the next!

Rating: B+

Strays

👑Lady Olivia was initially disdainful of the relatively small entrance to the Guinness home, but she looked wordlessly impressed as Potter led her through the newer, much grander wing.

👑About the Fenian rally that Ellen led – the show should trust its audience more without resorting to painfully obvious visual cues, because all those green sashes to identify the Fenians are not really necessary, even distracting.  

👑This is the episode with the scene that had Twitter a-flutter on Day 1 of streaming. You will know it when you see it.

👑Potter thinks Arthur’s prospective wife was too sharp, which only made Arthur want her more.

👑Christine, still in love with Benjamin, thought he now had no choice but to marry her since his father left him penniless. Benjamin, however, was a man with something to prove, and he enlisted in the military. 

👑The final scene was Edward turning an empty bottle of Guinness after Ellen left, and the label changing to a harp. 

Writer: Steven Knight

Director: Tom Shankland

Original Air Date: September 25, 2025

You can view RecapLab’s coverage of House of Guinness via this link. 

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