BY KATIE FINNEGAN

GALWAY native Donal O’Brien – popularly known as ‘Dobs’ – from Merlin Park won €276,000 on Saturday’s ‘The Big Money Game’ TV Gameshow held in RTÉ.

More than 20 of his closest friends and family joined him in Dublin last weekend and watched as he scooped the top prize on the show.

“My girlfriend brought me to the Bahamas for my birthday where we went swimming with dolphins. I had such a great time I thought I’d buy a scratch card when I got back. I won a euro on it and decided to get one of the three stars cards.

“When I saw that I’d gotten three stars I asked them for a stamp and would you believe there was a dolphin on the stamp,” he said.

He brought a stuffed dolphin up to the show for good luck and it seems to have paid off.

He said has no idea what he’s going to do with the money yet but said he celebrated in Busker Browns after winning.

The winning ticket was bought in MacIsaacs, Bridge Street in the City.

Read more in today’s Connacht Sentinel