In the Beginning...

The town of Dundalk has always been ideally suited to a foster a brewing industry. It allowed easy access to water, malt and yeast - the three essential ingredients for successful brewing. The rich agricultural hinterland supplied barley and the town itself boasted a skillful and varied workforce in the 17th century. So it was in 1693 there were a total of 32 breweries in place in the town but by the end of the 18th century brewing began to be industrialized which meant that a smaller number of breweries could produce more beer. By 1780 only 3 breweries remained in Dundalk , one of which was the Cambricville Brewery of William Stuart. This had been established around 1704 on the site of a former Huguenot settlement but by 1835 all but Cambricville had ceased trading. 1837 saw the emergence of a new brewery in Dublin street and the intense local competition meant that by 1854 the Cambricville brewery had closed. But in 1859 John and Arthur Duffy took over the Dublin Street brewery with a new partner, Edward H. Macardle who was the chairman of Dundalk Town Commissioners. By 1863 E.H. Macardle had bought out the Duffy's and he entered into partnership with his fellow Dundalk and Newry Steam Packet Co. director and cousin, Andrew T. Moore. The new partners decided to close the Dublin Street brewery and moved to the superior Cambricville site, establishing themselves as The Dundalk Brewery. It was enjoy the success of being the town's only brewery for a period of 35 years.