A GARDA from Dunmanway has made a big haul on popular TV show The Money List, winning a total of €25,000 with his teammate Yvonne, a science teacher from Kildare.

Cathal Kelleher, 51, appeared in three episodes of the popular RTÉ quiz show and walked away with an impressive €12,500 after sharing it with his worthy peer.

The father-of-three, who works at Terleton Garda Station, said he was delighted to take part in the show and get a chance to look behind the scenes of a big budget TV production.

‘It was exciting and good fun. It’s not life-changing money but definitely a nice bonus. I really enjoyed being a contestant and it’s one of the best things I’ve done in my life.

‘It was exciting to see how the show was produced. Around 100 people were working on it. They were all very friendly and accommodating and the host, Baz, was lovely altogether.

‘I applied because my wife and I were watching The Late Late Show and The Money List came up on the ads. I said to her “You know what? I’ll have a go at that”’.

After being called for a casting day at a Cork hotel along with 49 other hopefuls, Cathal was selected as a contestant and travelled to Dublin for filming in June.

Cathal said the money would go towards a trip to New York he was planning with his wife Fiona to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary next year.

Among friends and family in Dunmanway watching Cathal’s nailbiting progress were his children Ciaran, 25, Eimar, 23, and 13-year-old Oisín.

Cathal, who also worked as a Cork city garda for 15 years, managed to bank the five-figure sum together with Yvonne, but ultimately the team lost to Anu from Dublin and Elizabeth from Cork who completed a list of 30 cities with underground rail networks, taking the title from the reigning champions.

Cathal had no ill-will against his opponents: ‘They were excellent. The funny thing about the show is that they ended up going home with no money. It’s interesting to see ordinary people from your area on the show, that’s part of the appeal. A lady from Dunmanway was on the Money List last year and she won a nice bit of money.’

In his spare time, Cathal coaches the under-18s team at Doheny GAA where is also co-chairman.

Club chairman Mark Farr said that ‘We are all very proud of Cathal and he’s done really well. He is a great asset to the club and we hope he enjoys spending the money.’

The Money List, hosted by Baz Ashmawy, airs on RTÉ on Sunday nights and sees two teams of complete strangers compete to fill in missing answers on themed lists.

The more lists they complete, the more money they win, with prize amounts climbing as teams advance.

Contestants can choose to bank their winnings or risk it to continue playing, but one wrong answer means losing it all.