Belfast travel blogger Mark Rowan, known as Stumpy, has declared that the best pint of Guinness he has ever had outside Ireland is served at Mulligans pub in Manchester. The Northern Ireland Traveller YouTuber visited the city for a pub crawl and was left impressed by the quality of the stout.
Pub crawl begins with high hopes
Stumpy flew from Belfast International Airport to Manchester on a Ryanair flight costing £19.99. Before boarding, he enjoyed a pint of Guinness and wondered whether it would be the last decent one before reaching mainland UK. After landing, he praised the city, saying: “So far so good, like Manchester is very clean and tidy. I see it gets a lot of negative hate on YouTube and all, people like to slander it, but honestly, I like it so far.”
He met up with Danny, a local content creator from Honest Places, and they began their pub crawl at The Old Nags Head to watch a Manchester United match. While the pub was enjoyable, the Guinness did not impress Stumpy, prompting Danny to promise: “We are going to get the best pint you can get in England.”
Mulligans delivers Dublin-standard stout
Danny led Stumpy to Mulligans, an Irish bar on Southgate in the city centre, describing it as the best Guinness in Manchester. On arrival, Stumpy noted the pints looked “absolutely unbelievable” and could be “Dublin standard.” He commented: “What a great pub. £7.50 a pint, wee bit on the expensive side, but you’re buying in the city centre of Manchester.”
Danny rated his pint nine out of ten, and Stumpy was equally impressed, saying: “That is good. That is a nice pint. That is a damn good pint. I’m really impressed. That’s a creamer.” He later added: “That is as good as you would get in Dublin. That is unreal. Really really nice pint. Definitely the best pint I’ve ever had to date in the UK. 100%. I’m happy with that.”
Further pubs and a return visit
The pair also visited The Peveril of the Peak, recently named the best pub in the UK by Time Out. Stumpy described the yellow and green-tiled building as “absolutely stunning” and called it another great pub. He said: “I actually love Manchester. This is one of the best cities I’ve ever been to in the UK. This is great.”
They stopped at other venues, including The Circus Tavern, said to be the smallest pub in Europe. However, Stumpy remained focused on Mulligans, telling his companions: “See what I think? Mulligans is a great pint. Why are we fannying about this area when Mulligans do the best pint in the city?” The group returned to Mulligans for another pint, and viewers responded positively to the video, with one commenting: “Good to hear a YouTuber paint Manchester in a positive light for once.” Another noted: “Mulligans bar was Roy Keane’s local along with a few other United players in the day.”
