“It would be brilliant to have a Euro Tour” – New Irish Tour Card holder joins growing call for more PDC events in Ireland

As calls grow for the PDC to bring more top-level darts back to Ireland, newly crowned Tour Card holder Niall Culleton has added his voice to the debate.

Fresh from finally securing his place on the ProTour after eight attempts at Q-School, the Irishman believes the country is being held back by a lack of opportunities on home soil, despite its depth of talent and strong fan support.

For Culleton, the issue goes beyond personal ambition. While his own focus is now firmly on establishing himself on the ProTour, he sees Euro Tour qualifiers or even a ProTour weekend in Ireland as a vital step for the next wave of Irish players trying to break through.

“Yeah, it’s been a good January,” Culleton said in conversation with Tungsten Tales. “Christmas involved a lot of practice. I had the ADC Global Championships coming up over the Christmas period, then finals day, and then Q-School straight after. So to finish it all off with a Tour Card wasn’t bad at all.”

Those who follow the Q-School circuit have known Culleton’s name for some time. On multiple occasions, he came agonisingly close to success. This time, however, felt different. “In fairness, I knew going into it that I was prepared,” he said. “I’d been playing well for the past few months. It was just about producing it on those days.”

That belief came from sustained form rather than a sudden spike. “I said to myself, you’ve put in the time, you’ve seen how your darts have been for a while now. I felt good going in and confident.”

Notably, Culleton wasn’t haunted by past failures this year. Where they weighed heavily before, he managed to shed that baggage now. “That was something I consciously worked on. Last year was a low point. I didn’t even qualify for the final stage of Q-School and didn’t play the Challenge Tour all year. That was a wake-up call.”

A key difference this year was how Culleton handled the weight of previous disappointments. “That was one of the things I worked on,” he explained. “Last year was the first time I didn’t qualify out of the three preliminary days before the main Q-School. I didn’t go to the Challenge Tour at all and basically took a step back.”

That absence from the circuit forced reflection. “I had to change a few things... my mindset, my darts, my setup,” he said. “I had to learn to enjoy throwing again.”

Trips to England had previously become dominated by regret rather than opportunity. “Anytime I went over there, it was always about what ifs and things I’d nearly done. I needed to clear my head of that.”

Culleton’s reset was practical as well as mental. “I went back to basics,” he said. “Standard flights, standard points.”

The impact was gradual but decisive. “After about three or four months, everything started feeling comfortable again and I started enjoying it.”

With his Tour Card secured, Culleton is realistic about the challenges ahead on the ProTour. “I know how I’m throwing,” he said. “Once I get into the pool of playing with the elite on the ProTour, my game will come on as well.”

Rather than expecting instant results, he sees development as an adaptation process. “It’s about conditioning yourself to the surroundings,” he added, “and just going in and doing what I can do.”

Despite achieving a long-term goal, Culleton admits the moment itself did not come with shock or disbelief. “You go to Q-School to do a job,” he said. “That job is to get a Tour Card.”

Attention now shifts to what comes next. “First thing is getting a few wins on the ProTour and seeing where I’m at.”

Like many new Tour Card holders, Culleton will continue working alongside his darts career. “If I don’t have darts in a week, I’ll work a full week,” he said. “If I do have darts, I’ll work in the days during that week to keep money coming in, because money isn’t guaranteed on the ProTour.”

Support from his employer has helped make that balance possible. “I spoke to my boss and he said, ‘You have to give this your full concentration and we’ll sort something out.’”

As a carpenter, flexibility is an advantage. “I’m lucky that I’m a carpenter, so I can fit work in around darts.”

Reaction to Culleton’s Tour Card success underlined the strength of darts support in Ireland. “My phone was glitching from messages,” he said. “I couldn’t even ring my wife or my mother for nearly two hours after I got it.”

On tour, he will be surrounded by familiar faces, regularly travelling and rooming with Shane McGuirk. “We room together, travel together, and bounce off each other — unless we’re playing each other. That’s business.”

“There’s plenty of Irish support once you’re over there.”

Culleton believes that support should be matched by opportunity. “It would be brilliant to have something like a Euro Tour qualifier or even a ProTour event in Ireland,” he said. “There’s a big pool of players here who need that opportunity.”

Crucially, he stresses that such events are about access rather than instant success. “Most lads won’t get Tour Cards straight away, but those kinds of events let players see the level and learn from it.”

He points to Ireland’s appetite for the sport as evidence. “The Premier League sells out straight away every year,” he said, adding that many players in England consider Dublin the standout night of the entire Premier League calendar.

Culleton speaks warmly about the influence of William O’Connor on Irish darts. “Willie is a huge figure in Irish darts,” he said. “He’s always supportive, always involved with exhibitions, and great with younger players.”

While a future World Cup of Darts appearance remains a long-term ambition, his outlook stays grounded. “It all depends on how we do,” he said.

For Culleton, the Tour Card represents more than a breakthrough result.

“If my darts are there,” he said, “I know I can do well.”