Oscar Despard, a 22-year-old Dubliner, led Christ's College, Cambridge to victory in the final of the BBC's University Challenge, beating the University of Warwick by a mere five points (175-170).
Despard's team comprised Linus Luu (maths), Brendan Bethlehem (linguistics), and Anniko Firman (classics).
Another Dubliner, Kevin Flanagan from the University of Bristol, also performed well, reaching the semi-final. Queen's University Belfast also reached the quarter-finals, highlighting Ireland's strong presence in the competition.
Despard's success built on an impressive academic background. He achieved nine H1 grades in the 2021 Leaving Cert and won the Individual Award at the BT Young Scientist competition in 2020. He's currently pursuing a PhD in molecular biology at Cambridge.
The team celebrated their win by watching the pre-recorded broadcast in their college lecture theatre, while another viewing took place at Despard's former sailing club in Dún Laoghaire, where his father owns a bakery.