Sad Passing of Galway Poker Legend

Mary Keary who passed away after a long illness late last month was one of the best known, and certainly one of the most loved, figures on the Galway poker scene over the last several decades. As a hugely dedicated and popular secondary school teacher, Mary contributed hugely to the development of generations of teenagers in the Athenry area but throughout her life and particularly after her retirement she loved playing cards be it 25 or poker.

The social element was always important to Mary but so was the competitive nature of the games. When it came to the crunch nobody enjoyed winning more than Mary as demonstrated by her joy at being crowned the World 25 Champion in 2013. She lived for her family and for tournament poker and, until her health declined, could be seen playing at least five nights a week in The Eglinton in Galway city where she was rightly treated as poker royalty.

Though Mary was always polite she could also be very incisive and sometimes quite sarcastic about players that were slow or messy and ruining the game for everyone else. I well remember playing an Omaha 8 or Better (Hi-Lo) tournament with her in The Eglinton where many of the players didn’t really understand the nuances of the game. One particular character was considering a big move against her on the River, shuffling his cards around and staring at the Board. After some time passed, Mary caught my eye and encapsulated the situation and the player perfectly with the deathless phrase; “Behold, the thick plottens”.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam.

Leaderboard Battle Heads to Dundalk

The Irish Poker Tour continues to traverse the country with the €100,000 guaranteed Northern Poker Festival at the Fairways Hotel, Dundalk from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd June. The Main Event has a €60k guarantee for a €300 entry with the usual mixture of side events and cash games keeping the pot bubbling throughout.

The battle to be crowned the IPT Leaderboard champion for 2025 continues with Mary Keary’s exuberant nephew Shane topping the pile just ahead of Killian Farrell, Paul Carr and Michael Merrigan. All of them will be looking to cement their positions in the chase for a share of the expected €40,000+ prizepool but there are plenty more players waiting to jump up the standings with a couple of high finishes.

It should be a great weekend in Dundalk which always serves as great melting pot between the Northern and Southern poker families. See you all there.

Written by Donal MacAonghusa.