Donegal Poker Festival – Final Day Wrap
On the final day of a festival there is a sense of serenity in the morning. With players lucky enough to bag up a stack for the Main Event, hoping, wishing and dreaming of a good run. The thought of leaving with the trophy in hand and a very tasty cash payout is never far from their thoughts. When the Main Event begins the mood switches, what was once jovial becomes competitive and those who some would consider as friends quickly turn to foe. As there can only be 1 winner, and only time will tell who that is.
The day started off with one last chance for those not qualified to do so with the Donegal Main Event 1E Hyper. This flight saw 36 entries signing up, bringing the prize pool to a staggering €111,075. From this flight the highest stacks brought forward were with Rory Liffey, who bagged 199,000. Dean Brownle took through 248,000. The highest stack from the flight was snatched up by Thang Van Nguyen, who bagged 265,000.
The Donegal Main Event Final got underway with players eager to survive long enough to cash. Others had one mission and one mission only and that was, to win. As the field started to dwindle it came down to that moment at every festival that is palpably tense. For onlookers it is a great spectacle to behold. The unlucky bubble boy of the Main was Harry Bradley with a short stack he called all in with a 5,2 off suit. He was called and beaten by a pair of Jacks. Leaving the rest of the field to breathe a sigh of relief as they wouldn’t be leaving empty handed.
Next up was the Monsterstack, which saw 111 entries sign up bringing the prize pool to €18,115. It was clear to see that these competitors were going to fight to the last breath to reach success. As play progressed the pack thinned. The weekend’s battling had taken its toll and when 4 remained a deal was done meaning, David Grealis, John M Murray and Ernie Haywood, took home €3,000. Play continued for the trophy and Joe Jackson was the victor banking €3,345.
The Omaha 4/5 Cards was up next offering players the last chance to get their hands on a trophy. 21 entries joined the fray. With 1st and 2nd in the IPT leaderboard, Shane Keary and Tomas Flannagan signing up, the rest of the field had a battle on their hands in this one. In the end Noel Donaldson came 3rd taking home €500, in 2nd was Francis Stainsby who banked €710 and the winner was none other than Shane Keary who pocketed €1,150 and took home the trophy.
The Main Event dwindled down to the final table with onlookers eager to watch the spectacle from the side lines. The players were laser focused, concentrating only on the task at hand. They had come this far and all were eager to wake up on Monday as the Champ. With a deal in the Monsterstack, it must have enticed the competitors. As another 4-way deal was arranged meaning, Alfredas Pipiras, Keith McInerney, Kenneth Matthews, left with €15,000. Brendan Palmer, who was chip leader took home €15,000 and the trophy.
Here at livepokerupdates we would like to thank the people of Donegal for making the weekends festival one to remember.
Unfortunately, that’s it for live poker for a while…Well 2 weeks. Then the IPT rolls into Killarney for the biggest festival guarantee on the roster. A whopping €900,000 is up for grabs. (Tuesday, September 23, 2025 – Sunday, September 28, 2025)
We look forward to seeing you there, and who knows, it could be yourself that is crowned champion. As the old saying goes…You got to be in it, to win it.