We may take a sip of comfort from the return of Guinness to Dublin

RUMOURS that Guinness was planning to wind up operations at St James's Gate, Dublin, and move its headquarters to the Park Royal Brewery near London were finally killed off this week with the news that the Park Royal operation is being closed down instead.

The whole thing could have had devastating economic implications for this country, especially from a psychological standpoint. Guinness is not only one of our more famous exports, but it has always had a reputation for being a good employer, with a social conscience.

Anyone who thought the move to Britain was unthinkable because of the ties of the Guinness family with Dublin has little understanding of the commercial world. The Guinness family no longer owns the company and international corporations are famous for lacking either a heart or a conscience. They are interested only in profit.