Kilkenny brewery set to be distilled into €3m visitor centre

One of Ireland’s oldest breweries is to be transformed into a €3m visitor centre which is set to open its doors in less than a year.

Smithwick’s made the announcement yesterday for its St Francis Abbey Brewery in Kilkenny. The project will see 40 jobs created during the construction period and 12 when the centre opens.

According to Smithwick’s, the existing visitor centre at the Victorian brewery building will be turned into a “visitor experience” that will reflect the history of 300 years of brewing in Kilkenny.