Netflix has just added one of the biggest Irish shows ever

We believe it's well worth seeking out.

Boasting a huge ensemble cast and created by Steven Knight (the maker of Peaky Blinders), the epic drama's opening titles state that it is "a fiction inspired by true stories".

Beginning in 1868 in British-occupied Ireland, the series revolves around the uber-wealthy and Anglo-Irish Guinness family in the wake of its patriarch Benjamin's death.

As the Irish republican movement is growing, it soon becomes clear that Benjamin's four squabbling young adult children (played by Anthony Boyle, Emily Fairn, Fionn O'Shea and Louis Partridge) must adapt with the times if they want their family's business to survive and thrive.

JOE's Review of House of Guinness

Having watched six of House of Guinness' eight episodes, our verdict is that the show is well worth seeking out.

The pilot episode does throw a lot of different characters and information at the viewer, perhaps at the expense of establishing a consistent pace or tone. Indeed, during this opening hour, you may wonder why you are watching a show focused on the Guinness family, as opposed to the Fenian revolutionaries (represented by the excellent Niamh McCormack and Seamus O'Hara).

That said, the show snaps into focus within the opening moments of episode two. This is when a will reading for Mr Benjamin Guinness spurs on some big revelations to viewers, while also sending each of the four main siblings on their own separate and compelling character arcs.

Most of the fun of the series is witnessing these individual journeys ping-pong against each other and the changes in Irish society unfolding around them in thrilling, unexpected ways.

It's clear that creator Steven Knight looked at the broad history of Ireland and the Guinness family, using it as a jumping-off point to craft another one of his now trademark yarns about the clash between commerce, crime and revolution.

The end result is a show that feels lively and spirited. Watching House of Guinness is like getting a crash course about Ireland's past from a history buff in a pub who has already sunk a few pints of the black stuff.

Adding to the infectious, almost campy fun is the rollicking anachronistic soundtrack full of the likes of Kneecap and The Mary Wallopers, as well as a supporting cast packed with Irish thespians like Danielle Galligan (for our money, the MVP), Dervla Kirwan, Jack Gleeson and Michael McElhatton, who all know exactly what type of show they are in.

Plus, the rare non-Irish actors in the cast, like James Norton and Louis Partridge, nail their distinct brogues.

JOE's Interviews with the House of Guinness cast.

JOE caught up with the creator and most of the cast of House of Guinness on the red carpet premiere of the series at the Light House Cinema in Dublin last week.

Speaking about why he wanted to make the show, writer Steven Knight told us: "I was invited to consider it, and I took a look at the real history, the real story of the family.

"Every generation throws up a scandal, madness, wildness, success and drama. [But] in particular, one morning in 1868, Benjamin Guinness' will was read.

"It's such a powerful moment, because he gave away the equivalent of hundreds of millions of pounds, castles, houses, lakes, land, and [yet] managed to make all four of his children unhappy, which is quite an achievement," he said, laughing.

On the red carpet, many of the cast said they couldn't get over being able to tell such a specific Irish story on such a massive canvas.

Fionn O'Shea told JOE:

"We're a country that's always I feel like punched above our weight in terms of the arts generally. We've got some of the most talented artists in the world.

"And to be making a show like this about Irishness - it's an Irish family and a brand that's so synonymous with Irishness and Irish culture - with Netflix is kind of nuts. It feels really, really special."

Co-star Hilda Fay also said:

"Oh my God, it's so exciting. I got to tell the story of the Famine, so that was a huge weight on my shoulders. I play this character called Sultan who is the matriarch in a famine town. That was a big responsibility.

"I'm sure it was a big responsibility for Steven Knight as well, but they were so respectful. They did their research, they were very collaborative, and it was a very sombre set.

"I got to speak the cúpla focal on screen, so I was very proud and honoured to do that. I'm very emotional actually [about getting] to do that.

"The Guinness family is huge in my history. My grandfather got a job [at Guinness]... The Guinness family raised up the Dublin people, gave them rights, gave them hope, gave them dignity, all of that. I'm delighted to be here."

On the importance of Irish representation onscreen, Seamus O'Hara stated: "[Irish actors have] either been playing not terribly humanely written characters for a long time, or [Irish characters have] been played by [actors] that don't really understand the culture.

"It feels like the Irish culture as a whole is having a moment of self-belief and confidence, and that the world opened its door to us and we walked through it."

On a similar point, Michael McElhatton explained: "If they were making this [show] 10 years ago, it would have [had] predominantly English and American [actors] as it has been [in] our cinema and TV history.

"So, the fact that it's 95% Irish is amazing and brilliant, and it's so exciting to see the next generation of young actors coming through."

Anthony Boyle, meanwhile, told JOE: "It's such a great time for Ireland, with literature, music, and acting. It's really great to be part of that.

"Hopefully [House of] Guinness can join that pantheon of great Irish shows, and hopefully we make Ireland proud."

Danielle Galligan, who stars in two big new Irish series premiering this week with House of Guinness and The Walsh Sisters, said she believes the increase in Irish stories being told onscreen is the result of decades of people "working their ass off" to build the Irish film and TV industry.

"I hope that we can continue to build, and the next [generation of] people can stand on our shoulders," she added, before joking: "Yeah, world domination."

As for why you should check out House of Guinness, Dervla Kirwan summed up:

"It is a story of a dysfunctional family. It's a story about betrayal and sex and violence and greed and vision and business and capitalism and the philanthropy of the Guinness family and what they did for Irish people, for the working classes, the story of history, of empire. I could go on and on and on.

"10 million pints of Guinness are drunk every day in the world. I imagine that someone in Japan will go for a pint with their friends and go: ‘Have you seen this new show?' or someone in the Outer Hebrides, wherever, [because] it's highly relatable.

"It's a family drama with the backdrop of the Irish empire and Anglo-Irish relations, and that's intriguing."

House of Guinness is available to stream in its entirety on Netflix now. Netflix has also given members the option to watch the series with Irish subtitles.