''Harp Lager'' is an Irish lager created in 1959. Formerly produced at the Great Northern Brewery in Dundalk, it is now brewed in Dublin. It is a major lager brand throughout most of Northern Ireland, but is now rarely available in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. ...

History

''Harp Lager'' was first produced in 1960 as a bottled beer by the Guinness company (now

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), in response to the trend among drinkers in Ireland and Britain towards Continental lager. Guinness converted its Dundalk brewery into a modern lager production plant with the guidance of Dr. Herman Muender, a distinguished German brewer. Various names were considered for the brand, including ''Atlas'', ''Cresta'' and ''Dolphin'', before ''Harp'' was chosen. The brand was marketed with the Brian Boru harp as its emblem. By 1961 a

consortium A consortium (plural: consortia) is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments (or any combination of these entities) with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources ...

of brewers, Courage, Barclay & Simonds, Scottish & Newcastle, Bass, Mitchells & Butlers and Guinness, grouped together as Harp Lager Ltd to brew and market the beer. Courage's Alton Brewery, where ''Courage Director's'' had been brewed, was rebuilt to produce the lager in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

. By 1964, the product was being sold on draught and led in its category for sales. Members of the Harp consortium changed over the years, with Courage and Scottish & Newcastle leaving in 1979, but becoming franchisees."Dundalk grows and develop
archive link September 2006 (Wayback Machine)
Diageo Currently available on draught, and in 330ml and 500ml bottles, its top market is

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

, especially

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

and

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. In 2005, Harp saw a makeover as Diageo Ireland separated the brand from Guinness. On 9 May 2008, Diageo Ireland announced that it would close the Dundalk Brewery along with the Kilkenny Brewery over a five-year period. The last Harp was brewed at Great Northern in October 2013, after which production moved to Diageo's sole Irish brewery, St James's Gate Brewery in St. James's Gate,

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

. Today, ''Harp'' is brewed in the Dublin brewery for Ireland and

Hydes Brewery Hydes is a family-owned and managed brewery in Salford, England. The company has been brewing cask ales since 1863. It owns more than 50 managed and tenanted pubs, mainly in North West England. History Alfred and Ralph Hyde inherited a small ...

, Salford for Great Britain. In Australia, distribution is handled by Carlton & United Breweries. In North America,

exports from the UK arrive in bottle and cask condition, labeled an "imported from Ireland" lager from St. James Gate, Dublin on its packaging.

Marketing

Advertising hoarding, Belfast - geograph

For many years the slogan "''Harp'' stays sharp" was used in advertisements. It was written by the advertising executive Rod Allen. Recently it has used the slogan "Look on the ''Harp'' side".

References

External links

DiageoThe Harp Club
{{Diageo plc Diageo beer brands Beer in Ireland Irish alcoholic drinks