Company History

More than 700 years ago a group of Knights Templars returning from the crusades, settled in West Limerick, Ireland.  The site they chose for their castle was influenced by the presence of a well, providing an abundance of cool, clear spring water of the utmost purity and freshness.  They named it St. David’s Well and surrounded it with a sturdy keep inside the castle.  Eventually a town grew up, called Newcastle West – today a thriving village in one of the most beautiful parts of Ireland.

Then … and Now:

The modern company as we know it was the brainchild of Richard & Johanna Nash in 1875, and it has remained a family business since then.  Using only the best ingredients and the pure water from St. David’s Well, the enterprising couple mixed, bottled, capped and distributed their soda water and ginger ale for thirsty farm workers.  Displaying a flair for anticipating trends, their innovation led to distribution to local pubs and markets beyond.

Starting only with a pony and trap, Richard Nash was soon using trains and 40 horses and traps to distribute his increasingly popular products.    By the 1920s though, lorries had replaced the traditional form of transport and the Nash’s would have been over-whelmed to see their soft drinks being introduced to countries they had never even heard of, such as Ghana and Tahiti. 

One product, however, has remained favourite locally – Nash’s Red Lemonade.  No farm worker’s lunch was complete without a bottle of the unique fiery coloured drink.  To this day the formula for this refreshment remains a closely-guarded family secret.

Today,  Nash’s is a successful  business, based in Newcastle West.  Innovation, however, is still at the forefront of the company’s success and new products are continually coming on stream.  Nevertheless, Nash’s will always remain true to its roots, supplying simply the best soft drinks and mineral water around.