One of the most hotly anticipated Irish Poker Tour stops of 2025 takes place in Killarney from 23-28 September. Featuring a €620+€80 Main Event with a €500,000 guarantee, it looks set to be the largest event the tour has ever held in the town, situated in County Kerry, in the south-west of Ireland.
Most of the tournaments on the packed festival schedule include prize pool guarantees, with a total of €900,000 assured throughout the week. The major focus will of course be on the Main Event, which has eight starting flights taking place from Wednesday 24th to Saturday 27th of September at the Gleneagles Hotel. Play for Day 2 also resumes on Saturday and the event reaches its conclusion on Sunday 28th.
| Day | Time | Killarney Main Event Day | Buy-in | Clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 24th | 18:00 | Killarney Main Event Day 1A | €620+€80 | 30 Mins |
| Thu 25th | 12:00 | Killarney Main Event Day 1B | €620+€80 | 40 Mins |
| Thu 25th | 18:00 | Killarney Main Event Day 1C | €620+€80 | 30 Mins |
| Fri 26th | 12:00 | Killarney Main Event Day 1D | €620+€80 | 40 Mins |
| Fri 26th | 16:00 | Killarney Main Event Day 1E | €620+€80 | 30 Mins |
| Fri 26th | 21:00 | Killarney Main Event Day 1F | €620+€80 | 25/20 M |
| Sat 27th | 10:30 | Killarney Main Event Day 1G | €620+€80 | 20 Mins |
| Sat 27th | 15:00 | Killarney Main Event Day 1H | €620+€80 | 10 Mins |
| Sat 27th | 17:00 | Killarney Main Event Day 2 | – | 45 Mins |
| Sun 28th | 12:00 | Killarney Main Event Final | – | 50 Mins |
There are also several satellites costing €100+€20, to help those with smaller bankrolls get in to the Killarney Main Event for less than the €700 buy-in.
| Day | Time | Event | Buy-in | Clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 24th | 15:00 | Killarney Main Event Super Satellite (5 x seats) | €100+€20 | 15 Mins |
| Thu 25th | 12:00 | Killarney Main Event Super Satellite (5 x seats) | €100+€20 | 15 Mins |
| Thu 25th | 15:00 | Killarney Main Event Target Satellite (5 x seats) | €100+€20 | 15 Mins |
| Fri 26th | 13:00 | Killarney Main Event Target Satellite (5 x seats) | €100+€20 | 15 Mins |
| Fri 26th | 18:00 | Killarney Main Event Target Satellite Last Chance | €100+€20 | 15 Mins |
The festival is jam packed with side events as well as cash games, with most carrying guarantees. The first key event to begin is the €250+€200+€50 Mystery Bounty, with a €60,000 guarantee. It has two starting flights and runs side-by-side with the Main Event.
The Killarney Omaha Championship is another highlight of the week, with a €1,500+€150 buy-in. It takes place on Thursday and Friday with a €40,000 guarantee. Also at the same price point is the NLH High Roller on Saturday and Sunday, with the same guarantee. There are also three PLO events taking place throughout the week.
There are several other tournaments that stand out on the schedule, including the €360+€40 Killarney Cup and the €170+€30 Monsterstack, both taking place on the final day of the festival. The Killarney 300 on Saturday is also an eyecatcher, with a €260+€35 buy-in and a €50,000 guarantee.
Killarney Festival 2025 Side Events Schedule
| Day | Time | Event | Guarantee | Buy-in | Clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 23rd | 16:00 | The Killarney Opener | €15,000 | €170+€30 | 25 Mins |
| Wed 24th | 13:00 | Mystery Bounty Day 1A | €60,000 | €250+€200+€50 | 25 Mins |
| Wed 24th | 19:00 | Mystery Bounty Day 1B | €60,000 | €250+€200+€50 | 25 Mins |
| Wed 24th | 20:00 | NLH €20K | €20,000 | €170+€30 | 20 Mins |
| Thu 25th | 13:00 | Mystery Bounty Final | €60,000 | – | 40 Mins |
| Thu 25th | 13:00 | Killarney Omaha Championship 7-Max Day 1 | €40,000 | €1,500+€150 | 40 Mins |
| Thu 25th | 19:00 | NLH €20K | €20,000 | €170+€30 | 20 Mins |
| Fri 26th | 12:00 | Killarney Omaha Championship 7-Max Final | €40,000 | – | 40 Mins |
| Fri 26th | 13:00 | €1k One Dayer | €40,000 | €900+€100 | 30 Mins |
| Fri 26th | 14:00 | Killarney Women’s Championship | €10,000 | €220+€30 | 25 Mins |
| Fri 26th | 17:00 | Omaha 7 Max 4 Card | €10,000 | €270+€30 | 25 Mins |
| Fri 26th | 19:00 | NLH €20K | €20,000 | €170+€30 | 20 Mins |
| Sat 27th | 14:00 | Killarney 300 | €50,000 | €265+€35 | 30 Mins |
| Sat 27th | 18:00 | Omaha 7 Max | €10,000 | €270+€30 | 25 Mins |
| Sat 27th | 19:00 | Highroller Day 1 | €40,000 | €1,500+€150 | 40 Mins |
| Sat 27th | 20:00 | NLH Turbo Freezeout | €10,000 | €170+€30 | 15 Mins |
| Sun 28th | 13:00 | Highroller Day 2 | €40,000 | €1,500+€150 | 40 Mins |
| Sun 28th | 13:00 | Killarney Poker Cup | €40,000 | €360+€40 | 30 Mins |
| Sun 28th | 16:00 | Monsterstack | €25,000 | €170+€30 | 25 Mins |
| Sun 28th | 19:00 | Omaha 7 Max | – | €270+€30 | 20 Mins |
| Sun 28th | 20:00 | Last Chance Turbo | – | €125+€25 | 15 Mins |
Some of these side events also have satellites into them.
| Day | Time | Event | Buy-in | Clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 23rd | 20:00 | Mystery Bounty Satellite (5 x seats) | €75+€15 | 15 Mins |
| Wed 24th | 11:00 | Mystery Bounty Satellite (5 x seats) | €75+€15 | 15 Mins |
| Wed 24th | 20:00 | Killarney Omaha Championship Satellite (2 x seats) | €220+€30 | 15 Mins |
| Thu 25th | 11:00 | Killarney Omaha Championship Satellite (2 x seats) | €220+€30 | 15 Mins |
| Fri 26th | 11:00 | €1k One Day Target Satellite (2 x seats) | €125+€25 | 15 Mins |
| Sat 27th | 13:00 | Highroller Target Satellite (2 x seats) | €220+€30 | 15 Mins |
| Sat 27th | 16:00 | Highroller Target Satellite | €220+€30 | 15 Mins |
| Sun 28th | 10:30 | Killarney Cup Target Satellite | €55+€15 | 15 Mins |
What is the Irish Poker Tour?
The Irish Poker Tour (IPT) doesn’t do exactly what it says on the tin. The tin says “Irish Poker Tour,” and in that respect the labelling is accurate, with over 20 festivals and mini-festivals scheduled every year on the Emerald Isle. However, what isn’t expected when you read the label is a bunch of events that take place outside Ireland, but that’s exactly what you get with the Irish Poker Tour.
The tour consists of mostly affordable, grass roots events, with buy-ins in the €100-€200 range, however a few times per year, bigger events with €400 or €700 buy-ins take place. Some of the events are huge, with €500,000 guaranteed on some events, such as the upcoming Killarney Main Event.
There has already been a stop in Glasgow in 2025 and as this article is being written, the tour is currently on its summer vacation trip to Sunny Beach, Bulgaria, where the tour has linked up with the Smart Poker Tour. There will also be a London Festival in November and in previous years the tour has visited Portugal and Slovakia.
The Irish Poker Tour only began in 2022, but it feels like it’s been around a lot longer than that. Its likely that this is a feeling that many have when visiting a stop on the tour, as its run by a very experienced team, who have all been in the live poker business for a lot longer than the tour itself.
It’s headed up by its founder, the very familiar Fintan Gavin, who brings two sets of clothing to every session of every festival he spreads. Firstly, there’s his suit, which he often wears at the start of the day, to meet, greet and make start of day announcements before play begins. But soon after those duties are dispensed with, he finds the nearest telephone booth and swiftly emerges, dressed in his more comfortable trademark poker playing attire of shorts and a hoodie. Gavin has had considerable success on his own tour, frequently winning events, usually in Pot Limit Omaha.
Donal MacCaonghusa is Chief of Operations, with Latvian Ramona running the floor, as Tournament Director, while Romanian Mihaela manages the staffing. Susie Terrell is the Live Event & Player Liaison Manager, handling everything from venue and hotel bookings to buy-ins. The tour runs its own live event blog on LivePokerUpdates, with ex-Estrellas Poker Tour Supremo Natalie Besate as the Head of Media. Jerry is the tour’s photographer and video photographer.
IPT This Year So far
It’s been a busy year so far on the Irish Poker Tour, with already fourteen events having been and gone. Although almost all the Main Event winners so far this year have been Irish, the first trophy of the season went to English player Mitch Hynam, who went on to make a deep a run in the WSOP Main Event and won a bracelet earlier this summer. He cashed for €83,600 when winning the €750 Galway Main Event, defeating a field of 694 players.
There have been no previous Main Event winners repeating the feat this year and in fact, some of this year’s winners are very new to the winners’ circle, such as Ronan McCallit, (great poker name) whose victory in the Monster for €32,100 remains his only live event cash to-date.
| 53,100Date | Event | ME Buy-In | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | 1st Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 – 6 January 2025 | Galway Poker Festival, Galway | €700 | 694 | €418,570 | Mitchell Hynam | €83,600 |
| 11 January 2025 | Limerick €30K In A Day, Limerick | €200 | 272 | €44,391 | Daniel Colbert | €7,400 |
| 24 – 26 January 2025 | Munster Poker Festival, Charleville | €200 | 598 | €97,595 | Eddie Landy | €19,000 |
| 7 – 8 February 2025 | Irish Poker Tour Cork | €150 | 152 | €18,240 | Dane O’Donoghue | €4,200 |
| 5 – 9 March 2025 | Glasgow Poker Festival | £400 | 824 | £280,820 | Andrew Toole | €53,000 |
| 13 – 16 March 2025 | St. Patrick’s €100K For €100, Dublin | €100 | 1,927 | €138,745 | Mark Murphy | €22,000 |
| 30 April – 5 May 2025 | The Monster, Dublin | €150 | 2,101 | €250,000 | Ronan McCallit | €31,200 |
| 23 – 25 May 2025 | The Siege of Clonmel 3 | €200 | 416 | €67,730 | Tommy O’Rourke | €13,830 |
| 31 May 2025 | Limerick €40k in a Day, Limerick | €200 | 225 | €36,720 | John Farragher | €4,620 |
| 20 – 22 June 2025 | Northern Poker Festival, Dundalk | €300 | 371 | €92,600 | Bartolemiej Grabowski | €20,500 |
| 5 July 2025 | Portlaoise €30k in a Day | €200 | 289 | €47,155 | Barry McKelvey | €8,010 |
| 23 – 27 July 2025 | Summer in Dublin | €300 | 1,087 | €271,315 | Tomas Flanagan | €54,500 |
| 16 August 2025 | Athlone €40k In a Day | €200 | 264 | €43,085 | Marius Kukis | €10,200 |
| 23 – 24 August 2025 | Galway Summer Festival | €200 | 135 | €22,030 | Matthew Blaney | €5,900 |
2025 IPT Leaderboard Race
Way out in front on the Irish Poker Tour 2025 Leaderboard is Shane Keary on 5,705 points, almost 900 points ahead of Tomas Flanagan in 2nd on 4,875. Michael Merrigan is not far back in 3rd with 4,720 points, with Killian Farrell and previous leaderboard winner Paul Carr in 4th and 5th places.
Keary has cashed 19 times so far this year, but only has minor cashes in Main Events. His residency at the top of the leaderboard has continued since the start of the year, when he won two side events in the first week of 2025. In total he has won seven events this year and has numerous other final table finishes.
There’s approximately €40,000 in leaderboard prizes to be doled out at the end of the year and still a lot to play for in the second half of the season.
| Rank | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shane Keary | 5,705 |
| 2 | Tomas Flanagan | 4,875 |
| 3 | Michael Merrigan | 4,720 |
| 4 | Killian Farrell | 4,270 |
| 5 | Paul Carr | 4,255 |
| 6 | Steven Lee | 3,215 |
| 7 | Mary Galvin | 3,000 |
| 8 | Derek Baker | 2,790 |
| 9 | Pavlo Havrylyshen | 2,785 |
| 10 | Andrew Toole | 2,750 |
The Rest of the 2025 IPT Schedule
The Killarney Festival is a big one but there are several one-day tournaments and festivals to come over the next few months. There’s still over ten further opportunities to take a seat on the tour in 2025.
| Event/Festival | Dates | Location | Main Event Buy-in | Festival Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny Beach Bulgaria | Sept 1–7, 2025 | Platinum Hotel & Casino, Bulgaria | €300 | €200,000+ |
| Limerick €30k In A Day | Sept 6, 2025 | The Castletroy Park Hotel | €200 | €30,000 |
| Donegal Poker Festival | Sept 12–14, 2025 | Radisson Hotel, Donegal | €300 | €100,000+ |
| Killarney Poker Festival 2025 | Sept 23–28, 2025 | The Gleneagle Hotel / INEC | €700 | €900,000 |
| Carrick-On-Shannon €30K In A Day | Oct 4, 2025 | Landmark Hotel, Leitrim | €200 | €30,000 |
| Athlone €30K In A Day | Oct 11, 2025 | Athlone Springs Hotel, Athlone | €200 | €30,000 |
| Siege of Clonmel IV | Oct 17–19, 2025 | Clonmel, Co. Tipperary | €200 | €80,000 |
| London Poker Festival | Nov 4–9, 2025 | Genting Stratford, London | £400 | £350,000+ |
| Loughrea €25K In A Day | Nov 15, 2025 | Lough Rea Hotel & Spa, Loughrea, Co. Galway | €200 | €25,000 |
| Sligo €20K In A Day | Nov 22, 2025 | Adelaide Casino, Co. Sligo | €200 | €20,000 |
| Dublin Winter Festival | Nov 27–30, 2025 | The Green Isle Hotel, Dublin | €200 | €225,000 |
| Portlaoise €35K In A Day | Dec 27, 2025 | The Killeshin Hotel, Portlaoise | €200 | €35,000 |
Past Killarney Festivals
This is the fourth time that the Killarney Festival will be held as part of the Irish Poker Tour. It has grown every year, with 2025 looking like it will. continue that trend.
The first edition in 2022 had a €450+€50 buy-in and a €200,000 guarantee. It was won by Jack Humphreys from England, who took home €54,111 after a four-way chop with compatriot Gary Roberts and the Irish duo of Leroy fan and Jay O’Toole.
There were 769 entries in that first year, but despite the buy-in rising to €540+€60 in 2023, so did the attendance, which bumped up to 848. It was Jamie Flynn who banked the €70,000 top prize on this occasion, with the final prize pool of €441,000 smashing through the modest €300,000 guarantee that had been set.
In 2024, the buy-in jumped again, this time to €625+€75 and so did the guarantee, which was upped to €400,000. The event’s growth in all metrics continued, as 881 entrants created a prize pool of €531,335, breaching the half million barrier for the first time. It was won by Marc MacDonnell, who took €88,000 to Conor O’Driscoll’s €77,000 after they did business heads-up and played on for the title.
| Year | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner Name | First Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 769 | €335,675 | Jack Humphreys | €54,111 |
| 2023 | 848 | €441,893 | Jamie Flynn | €70,000 |
| 2024 | 881 | €531,335 | Marc McDonnell | €88,000 |
Photos courtesy of PokerNews, Live Poker Updates and the Irish Poker Tour
