Smithwick’s Experience is here to stay, claims prominent brewing family descendant

It’s now being claimed that the Smithwick’s Experience WILL be reopening.

Shock rippled across Kilkenny this week after news that Diageo were permanently closing the popular visitor attraction.

But Paul Smithwick now claims his family will ensure that that doesn’t happen- and says the venue will reopen very shortly.

“My expectation, and I’m saying this openly- in fact there’s no doubt in my mind- is that the Smithwick’s centre will be open as soon as possible, and that there will be no delay in that regard. The jobs of the wonderful people there will be retained” he revealed to Edward Hayden on The Saturday Show.

In a statement announcing their plans not to reopen the venue, a spokesperson for Diageo claimed that “it is impossible for us to adapt the experience for it to be a viable business and experience going forward”.

However, Paul’s countered this, by explaining that one of his key aims is to adapt the experience by increasing Smithwick’s offering to future visitors.

“My family, from a certain trust, will play their part big time” he vows. “For instance, there’s a lot more memorabilia that we have, the Daniel O’Connell memorabilia, and furniture, paintings, everything- we will fire all of that in there. We will do a lot more, with a total heart.”

Listen back to Paul’s full interview here;