Search
08 Sept 2025
Search
08 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
Drumlish's Padraig O'Neill Picture courtesy of PokerStars Live Events Photos
There were celebrations in Drumlish over the weekend as Padraig O'Neill became the first Irish poker player to take a European Poker Tour (EPT) title since 2013 when he secured the top spot in Prague.
The gifted poker player known as 'Smidge' added to an impressive resume that includes winning the Unibet Online Open Main Event twice in a row.
The Prague win was a particularly impressive feat as he put in a come-from-behind to overcome the biggest chip lead in EPT history to take down over €1 million in Prague.
His heads-up opponent Jon Kyte started the day with 228 big blinds when the rest of the final table had 152 between them (O'Neill only had 12).
“I was hoping to come fourth or third at best,” Padraig said after the win. “I didn’t think I’d get heads-up. This is surreal.”
He has been a pro for several years and Padraig carried the hopes of the enthusiastic Irish poker community to Prague having burst onto the scene a little more than a decade during the early days of the UKIPT.
Padraig's wife Ciara gave birth to their first child Fionn around six months ago, meaning the new father is obviously missing his family, even as he earns them a tremendous payday.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
