Guinness presents Niall Horan’s Homecoming

Hear from Aine Kavanagh, Head of Culture and Entertainment at Guinness, about how and why the brand took two globally recognised musicians on one incredible, three-day road trip to celebrate the value of Home.

1. Tell us about Niall Horan’s Homecoming: The Road to Mullingar with Lewis Capaldi – what was the thinking behind it?

Niall and Guinness have a lot in common: a shared Irish heritage; shared values and a shared appreciation for the simpler things in life. All of us at Guinness are huge admirers of Niall: his talent; his dedication to his passions; his commitment to the people and causes that matter to him; and his sense of fun.

Guinness has proudly partnered with Niall in various ways over the last number of years and this latest idea, working with the brilliantly creative and innovative teams at The One Partnership and Electric Robin, involved filming a TV show that would see Niall return home to Ireland with his friend, Lewis Capaldi.

In recent years, Home took on a deeper meaning for so many. As a proud Irishman who has lived away from home for many years, Niall was keen to rediscover and celebrate his ‘home’. Similarly, Guinness is a beer that has laid down roots all over the world, but Ireland is Guinness’ home. For this reason, it felt like the perfect match. You can travel and succeed all over the world, but you will never forget home and where you came from. It is these values that run through the entire programme.  

2. What’s Guinness’ role in the documentary?

Niall and Lewis had their own ideas about what they wanted to see and do in Ireland, and we knew from the initial concept that that Guinness could have a credible, authentic role in the story. Shaped by an expert production crew at Electric Robin, the story that unfolded is a heart-warming, entertaining story of friendship and discovery. The two down-to-earth superstars journeyed together around Ireland from visiting the very talented guitar maker, George Lowden, to Windmill Lane studios, an oyster farm in Carlingford, the Guinness Storehouse and of course, Niall’s home town of Mullingar where he proudly performed a gig in Clarke’s pub. The simple act of getting together over a beer is one of life’s enjoyable moments and along with all the places and people Niall and Lewis met on their travels, these moments were captured beautifully in a genuine display of a friendship.

3. This is a new marketing approach for Guinness – what does it mean to ‘build brands in culture’?

Guinness has the very fortunate position of having a 263 year legacy and the brand enjoys an established place in culture, particularly in our home market of Ireland. Our role is to identify fresh new opportunities that drive that legacy forward: telling the brand story in new and innovative ways and creating meaning through deeper engagement with consumers.

4. Tell us more about the filming – what was your highlight?

The highlight, for me, came on the last day, observing the production in its final scenes: sitting at the back of Clarke’s pub in Mullingar, sipping a Guinness 0.0 and watching Niall perform ‘This Town’. Seeing the reactions of the people in the crowd: Carrie and Ciaran Clarke, the pub owners; Niall’s mum, hands clasped to her heart, bursting with pride; the talented people Niall and Lewis had encountered along their travels dotted around the crowd; Niall’s Mullingar mates: everyone rapt by the performance. It felt magnetic.

5. How and where can people watch the documentary and what do you hope they’ll take away from it?

The show will air on Prime Video in the UK, US and Ireland from this Friday 21^st October at 20.00hrs BST. It will be released to other Prime Video markets in the coming days and it will also air on Virgin One in Ireland as well as on the Virgin Media Player.

Our hope for this TV show is, ultimately, to entertain and delight audiences with something a little bit different and to present to them a story of “Home” that feels universal and really authentic to Guinness.

To find out more, head to https://www.guinness.com/en-ie/our-craft/homecoming