New Kildare Diageo brewery to open in early 2026

Progress at Diageo’s new brewery at Littleconnell in Newbridge continues at pace with the €200m ale and lager brewery on-track for its first brew in early 2026.

Having begun construction less than 12 months ago in July 2024, there has been more than 700,000 hours of work safely completed, by approximately 580 workers on-site daily.

As of June 2025, approximately 70 per cent of the total project has been completed with key equipment in place.

“The construction team on-siteare undertaking the meticulous work of connecting up all of these assets so that later in the year the brewery will start to come to life,” said spokesperson Ann-Marie Lowry.

At peak construction phase, the Littleconnell site had 13 cranes, 12 excavators and 10 dumpers on site per day – all to support the building of Diageo’s new brewery that will support the global growth of some of the company’s largest Irish brands including Rockshore, Harp and Smithwicks.

It will be the second largest brewery in the country, second only to St James’s Gate brewery in Dublin 8.

The carbon-neutral brewery is currently recruiting for brewery and utilities operator roles is underway with applications closing today (Tuesday 24 June).

It is expected that there will be permanent workforce on site of 70 brewers.