Kildare man on his ‘Countdown’ appearance
Ian Kinsella from Newbridge on the set of C4's 'Countdown'
A MUSICIAN from Newbridge made it through to this year’s finals of the long-running C4 game show , winning his quarter-final before exiting in the semi to the eventual champion Patrick Thompson.
Ian Kinsella (43) is known as an ‘octo-champ’ on the iconic show after he won eight games in a row between 8 April and 17 April, and qualified as fifth seed for this year’s finals, which were shown in the week up to Friday 26 June.
His impressive run saw him total 812 points, scoring over 100 points on three occasions, and saw him dig out three nine-pointers – detouring, romanised, and senhorita – along the way.
Though now living full-time in Co Meath and gigging with bands such as De Dannan, Ian grew up in Newbridge, and graduated from the Cross and Passion in 2000.
“I still do a bit of teaching, mostly in Lios na nOg in Ranelagh (Dublin 6) but I’ve been a full-time musician since 2010,” said Ian.
“I won my quarter-final 107-102, then I met the No.1 seed Patrick Thompson who broke the record for the quickest conundrum in the semi-final where he scored 147-against 127, the highest combined score ever achieved on the programme.
“They reckoned this was the strongest series ever, even bigger than Series 69,” he said.
was the first ever programme shown on the opening day of Channel 4 back in November 1982.
“Yeah, the programme is a few months older than me!” Ian laughed.
“Though it was recorded last April the shows only went out last week, that’s why I couldn’t say anything then,” he admitted.
Ian originally studied in UCD, the did his teaching through Hibernia College.
“It was short-term, because I got into full-time music very quickly.
“During Covid I did a psychology degree when the music stopped, and then did the Masters because it was only another year,” he said.
“Tonight I’m doing a gig in Donoghue’s on Baggot Street, and we just got back from Australia two weeks ago, and I was in Paris only last weekend,” said the busy gigger.
“Saltaire is my band, but I also play with De Dannan, Eoghan O’Ceanabhain, and the Laura Jo Band.
“My wife (Kaitlin Cullen-Verhauz) would play in a few of those bands, along with 79,000 bands she plays in,” he laughed.
“She’s a cellist, and we play all over Ireland, we were in Ennistymon (Co Clare) last night,” he said.
Ian began playing music when he was just 11, initially learning from his banjo-playing dad Jackie, who himself played with Dolly Parton on his way.
Ian originally trained and worked as a primary school teacher before choosing full-time music, a fate that saw him tour the world with a ‘Who’s who’ of the trad and Celtic scene.
In 2021 he was invited to the World Expo in Dubai in association with the National Concert Hall to represent the nation’s finest musicians, and later that year played in front of 50,000 at Electric Picnic alongside Gavin James.
