Published Thursday, 24 September 2009
As millions of people saluted the birth of the brew, a host of stars jetted into the Irish capital to add a touch of glamour to Arthur's Day.
At 17.59pm, Jones, the star of the show, opened the night-long celebrations to raise his glass at the St James's Gate brewery to commemorate its founder, Arthur Guinness.
The atmosphere was electric as 2,000 ticket winners from all over the world crammed into an old warehouse and spread the tide of toasts around the world.
Minutes earlier on the red carpet, the singer admitted that he started drinking Guinness shandy as a child at home with his father.
But he said it was fantastic to be invited to perform at the Dublin celebrations.
"Irish people are great, they've always been good to me and I've always enjoyed coming here," he said.
"The best place to have Guinness is in Ireland. When you are in the place where they make it it's the real deal."
The Welsh star also revealed that his best way to cure a Guinness hangover was to down another one.
But he told reporters he liked "a hairy dog"... laughing as he realised he had mixed it up with 'a hair of the dog'.
Performances
As Cat Deeley and Boyzone's Ronan Keating presented the main concert from the brewery live to thousands of pubs throughout the UK, artists performed in 28 intimate pub venues across Dublin and in Lagos, Cameroon and Kuala Lumpur.
The list of acts included Kasabian, David Gray, Estelle, and Dizzee Rascal, who replaced the Sugababes at the last minute.
Earlier in the day, Rolling Stone star Ronnie Wood joined his son Jesse's band The Black Swan Effect for an impromptu gig in a shop window in Dublin city centre.
The Guinness brand, now owned by multinational drinks giant Diageo, is a symbol of Ireland that is recognised around the world.
The brewery was founded in 1759 after Arthur Guinness secured a 9,000-year lease on the St James's Gate site for the annual sum of £45.
By 1886 it was the largest brewery in the world.
The company dubbed September 24 Arthur's Day and has lined up a host of events across the globe to mark the anniversary.
More than 11,000 people on social networking site Facebook have called for Arthur's Day to become a national annual holiday.
Comedian Patrick Kielty said he could not turn down an invitation to a piss-up in a brewery.
"I love the way Dublin needs an excuse to drink, like St Patrick's Day isn't enough," he said.
"They thought when are we sober? September. What can we think of."