Ireland storm into quarter-finals as O’Connor warns: “It’s so hot, someone might keel over”

Team Ireland are back in the World Cup of Darts quarter-finals for the first time since 2019. William O’Connor and Keane Barry delivered an emphatic 8-3 victory over Switzerland on Saturday afternoon in Frankfurt, setting up a tantalising island showdown with Northern Ireland.

While O’Connor was clearly relieved, it was Barry who stole the show with a strong, composed performance they said to dartsnews.com. “Keane got me through today – fair play to him,” O’Connor admitted post-match. “I’m definitely happy to be in the quarter-finals again.”

It almost didn’t happen. On Friday, Ireland were on the brink of an early exit before a narrow leg difference sent them through from the group stage ahead of Gibraltar and China. “We knew we were through,” O’Connor said. Barry confessed otherwise: “I had no idea. I just showed up today hoping we were in, and luckily we were.”  

The veteran Irishman also voiced serious concern over the oppressive heat on stage. “You’ve got no time to settle. It’s so hot out there, it’s nearly impossible to throw your best darts,” O’Connor said. “It’s horrible. Maybe they need to change the venue or upgrade the air con, someone’s going to pass out at some point. I’m not exactly the biggest guy, but it’s unbearable.”

Barry echoed the sentiment but showed no signs of complaint: “It’s roasting up there. The darts stick to your fingers or fly out too early. But it’s the same for everyone, so you just deal with it.”

Sunday’s quarter-final against Northern Ireland promises to be one of the most emotionally charged matches of the tournament. Still, Barry remained unfazed: “To be honest, it’s just another match. Josh and Daryl are quality players, but when you’re on that stage, all that matters is winning.”

O’Connor, however, took a broader view: “Either way, a team from the island of Ireland will go through, that’s how we look at it.”

Ireland’s return to the last eight confirms their status among the sport’s elite, but both players know they’ll need to raise their game to go further. “We’ve still got more to give,” O’Connor said. “Keane played well today, I didn’t. Tomorrow needs to be better from me. In these tournaments, you need a bit of luck, but more importantly, you need to turn up.”

For Barry, this marks his first time reaching the World Cup quarter-finals in Irish colours. “It’s always an honour to wear the jersey and try to make the country proud. Yesterday I thought we were out—but here we are. We didn’t play our best today, but we got the job done.”

Barry also revealed that he’s made minor adjustments to his setup in recent months: “I tried something different at the start of the year—it felt great in practice but wasn’t quite right for the tour. So I went back to what I know. Now I’ve got new barrels with more grip at the front, but they’re the same weight and length. Nothing major. But they’re working okay, still room to improve, though.”