It is the home base of several sports clubs and teams who are associated with the Guinness Athletic Union.

[2] It is named after Edward Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh, who purchased the site and then donated it to the union.

was the most prominent member of the union; however, by the early 1920s the membership had almost doubled and its activities had expanded to include tennis, cricket and handball branches.

Begg had been offered £5,000 by the Dolphin's Barn Brick Company but he eventually sold the site to Edward Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh because "he did not like the idea of having a quarry in front of his house".

He also established a board of trustees, that included Lumsden, and donated a further £20,000 to develop and manage the site.