What's up with Guinness?

Very important to get a good pint. Try talking to Guinness customer service. They take this kind of thing seriously, because if there are kegs being imported from the UK they won't be happy.

Yes OP, also living in Co. Clare, 4 pubs in my village and only of them serving what I'd call a decent pint of Guinness. Similarily in my home place in Mayo, about 15 pubs and I wouldn't give any of them above an 8/10 over the course of the last year

This is the likely answer.

The Guinness which is delivered in the keg, and comes out of the tap is the same the world over. It's one of the most quality controlled pints there is.

A dirty glass, bad washer, lazy barman, will all contribute to a "bad" pint.

The Guinness sold in NI comes from James's Gate; it's the same product as is sold in RoI. This has always been true.

If Guiness is being sold into NI is being smuggled back into RoI, this won't greatly alarm Guiness; it has no reputational implications for them. It would greatly bother the Revenue, though, since the usual reason for smuggling from NI is to avoid Irish excise.

And, even when it was open, it didn't serve NI. Or, indeed, much of GB.

Park Royal served the south of England and South Wales. The rest of GB was supplied from James's Gate — beer was bulk ferried from Dublin to Runcorn (near Manchester) and packaged and distibuted from there.

I havent had a bad pint in years that wasn't the bar mans fault. If the lines are maintained and the pint is pulled properly then bad pints shouldnt really happen

But how come that in the one pub the Murphy's can be almost perfect and the Guinness consistently 5/10. If it was a dishwasher problem shouldn't all glasses be affected?

Sorry, I wasn't putting it down to pouring technique. Just curious as to how the Murphy's is consistantly excellent while the Guinness is to be perfectly honest, poor enough. Diageo clean the lines. Shouldn't be aged stock(busy pub)

They do have a glasswashing machines. The machines are known as glasswashers maybe I should have explained better.

Switch to Murphys .Solved.