Longford engineer is crowned ‘Ireland's Smartest’

Longford’s Patrick Carthy has tonight been crowned Ireland's Smartest after the nation's most intelligent quizzers were put through their paces over the past ten weeks.

31-year-old electrical engineer and Legan native, Patrick, was thrilled with his success. “I was delighted to win the series particularly against such excellent opponents. It was great to get the opportunity to take part in Ireland’s Smartest as I’ve always enjoyed watching television quizzes.”

He thanked everyone in Longford that sent him messages of support.

“The format was fun to play even with the added pressure of the studio lights and cameras. There has been great support throughout the series from friends, neighbours, work colleagues and family, in particular my mother Mary."

The series finale of Ireland’s Smartest, presented by quizmaster Claire Byrne aired this evening Sunday, June 4 on RTÉ One.

The other two finalists were 56-year-old Brian Craythorne, a civil servant from Belfast and 44-year-old Niall Duddy, a maths teacher from Galway.

Champion Patrick reflected, “Like in our first-round match, the final round against Brian was incredibly close and could have gone either way.”

Presenter Claire Byrne praised Patrick on his achievement.

She said, “It was a privilege to meet all of the players who were brave enough to face off against some of the best and brightest in the country to shoot for the grand title, but what a worthy winner we have found in Patrick Carthy who was calm and focussed to the last second of the game. Congratulations Patrick - you truly are, Ireland's Smartest!”