THREE NEIGHBOURS IN CLAREGALWAY ARE AMONG THE TOP-EARNING POKER PLAYERS IN THE COUNTRY. 32 YEARS OLD JUDE AINSWORTH,  DEREK MURRAY (31) AND FINTAN GAVIN (43) HAVE AMASSED MORE THAN IS  4.2 MILLION EURO IN WINNINGS THROUGH ONLINE AND LIVE POKER TOURNAMENTS.

JUDE AINSWORTH IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST EARNING PROFESSIONAL POKER PLAYER IN THIS COUNTRY WITH WINNINGS OF MORE THAN 2.8 MILLION EURO ACCORDING TO TODAYS IRISH INDEPENDENT

THE FATHER OF THREE TURNED HIS BACK ON A LIFE IN A LABORATORY FOR HIGH-STAKES POKER TOURNAMENTS AND JET-SETTING AROUND THE WORLD.

DEREK MURRAY WAS A SEMI-PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYER UNTIL INJURY FORCED HIM TO GIVE UP THE GAME.

THE 31-YEAR-OLD ACCOUNTANT HAS SINCE GONE ON TO AMASS IN THE REGION OF 830,000 EURO FROM PLAYING ONLINE POKER.

EARLIER THIS MONTH, ANOTHER NEIGHBOUR, FINTAN GAVIN, BEAT 518 OTHER PLAYERS TO WIN THE POKERSTARS UK AND IRELAND POKER TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP IN EDINBURGH, WALKING AWAY WITH €70,000. MR GAVIN, WHO ALSO RUNS A BUS-HIRE BUSINESS AS WELL AS ORGANISING POKER TOURNAMENTS AROUND IRELAND, HAS WON 1.1MILLION EURO  SINCE HE STARTED PLAYING PROFESSIONALLY IN 2004.