For lovers of all things wet and alcoholic, there’s one Dublin attraction that stands out above all others as an essential place to visit – this multimedia ode to the pitch-black beverage that’s become synonymous with Ireland. It’s unsurprisingly the most visited tourist attraction in town, with millions flocking to Guinness’s mighty 26-hectare brewery every year. Most of the complex is understandably out of bounds, but thirsty members of the public are hosted in an enormous seven-storey grain-house that’s been converted into a high-tech visitors centre.

The company was founded by one Arthur Guinness in 1759 as a minor operation on the banks of the Liffey. Over time, it expanded massively, sprawling across the other side of the river and, by 1930, coming to employ 5,000 people and boasting its own dedicated railway line. By the dawn of the twenty-first century, robots and machines had taken much of the strain, and the number employed had sadly fallen to a fraction of what it once. Regardless of who or what is doing the brewing, the plant churns out an incredible 2.5m pints of Guinness every single day.

You have to wait until the end of a multi-media extravaganza detailing the history of the company, the drink, and how the brewing process has evolved over the centuries before you can down a pint of your own, but it’s worth the wait – and if you’re a real Guinness devotee, you can opt for the Connoisseur Experience, where an expert guides you through a tasting session of four historical varieties of Ireland’s favourite liquid.