"Out in the streets, anywhere you go in shopping centres": Shane McGuirk can't stop getting recognised after Lakeside title

Shane McGuirk sat down with Talksport Darts from the Modus Live Lounge in Portsmouth, surrounded by the familiar banners of Red Dragon and Pluto TV. The reigning WDF World Champion reflected on his form, his rise in the sport, and what lies ahead.

The Irishman admitted that a recent long-haul trip had taken its toll: “Yeah, it’s hard. All the travelling was tough, but I think that yesterday at the darts here I was struggling a bit to keep the energy levels going. And today I kind of found that I was getting them more better, I suppose. So I’m looking forward to the rest of the week. I’m actually coming in with a bit of confidence now for the rest of the week.”

McGuirk stressed there’s still plenty to play for: “Oh, 100%. You’re only playing in one group now and then at the end of tomorrow’s play, you’re put into a different group with Thursday, Friday. So you start a completely new competition again, zero points again, everyone’s on zero points. So I’ll definitely be taking everything that’s going to happen tomorrow and what happened today and take that into Thursday, Friday. Hopefully I can just get into Saturday night because that’s what the whole thing’s about here.”

Winning at Lakeside has changed his daily life: “It’s been busy. It’s hard to balance everything, I suppose, like doing exhibition work here and there. And just people recognise you, I suppose, out in the streets, anywhere you go in shopping centres and stuff, people actually recognise me now. And yeah, it’s weird, even in work, people come into the shop and just they can take a picture with me or chatting me about darts and all this stuff. So I’m enjoying it. It’s been a good year. It’s gone very quick. So can’t wait to go back to Lakeside and see what happens.”

Recognition has become a regular part of his routine: “No, I haven’t been down to Gunwharf this week, but I might venture down there if the weather’s good this evening, this afternoon, just to get a walk, get a fresh air and stuff, get ready for tomorrow. But yeah, I think it’s weird that people actually do recognise me because the last time I was over here, someone did stop me on the street and took a picture of me. I’ve no idea who they were, but it was nice to meet them. They were very nice to me. So yeah, I appreciate that too.”

McGuirk credits the Modus Super Series and the Live Lounge environment for shaping his game: “Yeah, I think that Modus has probably made me the player I am today. Super Series goes a long way. You get all your experience in playing on TV in front of the crowds that come in on a Saturday night. You get to play behind all the cameras, the lights. You have a marker on the stage. You have just two players playing and it’s good. It’s kind of settled me when I was going to Lakeside. I wasn’t really nervous at all playing in Lakeside because I kind of knew the environment I was sort of going into. So I kind of feel like I owe a lot to Modus in that regard because they kind of helped me probably get towards my world title.”

That experience, he says, is vital for upcoming players too: “Yeah, 100 percent. I think that there’s some of the players, especially the younger players to get their church out to a Q-School, Development or Challenge Tour or whatever it is. It might not be their time. They might go in and they’re a bit of a novice I suppose to the whole thing but if they come down here and played their trade I suppose at the Modus, they’d see all the benefits from it. I know I have and many other players here this week are all saying the same. I’ll be hoping to go on and get my tour card next year and I know what it’s all about. Hopefully it works out. But definitely for the younger ones, that’s just up and coming and I suppose the rising stars of the game, they would benefit a lot just by playing a trade here for a while.”

The buzz around the Live Lounge has been lifted by the prospect of legends appearing: “Yeah, it does give it a bit of a buzz around the place. You have the likes of Adrian Lewis there and even Steve Beaton was here a couple of weeks ago and he’s playing. These are legends of the game. I know Adrian probably still has another good few years left and I hope he does well when he comes here and plays. I’d love to play him here as well. I think that’ll be awesome. Hopefully we can get in the same week or something but I’ll definitely be up for that one if it does happen.”

On Irish darts, McGuirk believes the scene is booming: “I think there’s probably too many in the name. The Irish rankings that we do now, they’re so hard to win. You’re getting over 120 people in the men’s competition trying to qualify for the Irish team and then you have the likes of like these guys going on to play in the World Cup, Six Nations and stuff.

"Anyone can have them spots. There’s probably a good 50 lads that can play in them spots and it won’t make a difference to the performance of the team. So we’re all keeping each other going. I suppose we’re all keeping each other more competitive and there’s just new guys bursting onto the scene like all the time. Even though they’ve been playing now for a long time but they’re just starting to win more. They’re trying to get used to winning and I feel like there’s going to be an explosion of darts in Ireland soon.”

As for his Target darts, McGuirk couldn’t be happier as he mused about his latest release: “Yeah, anyone can see that since I joined Target, my darts has just skyrocketed, I think, performance-wise. I went to them with a custom darts that I got made myself and I just wanted a few wee tweaks, I suppose, done to them and I met with the design team and then they just made me a dart that just suited me down to the ground and yeah, like a couple of years later, I’m sitting here as a world champion, talking to you, so it’s not too bad.”

Looking towards 2026, his focus is clear and that is Q-School in January. “Yeah, that’s definitely the plans and to be fair, at the minute, I don’t really look too much past it because you don’t know what’s going to happen, if you’re going to get your tour card or not. To feel the players that go to Q School is unreal. Like, people do say you need to get the luck of the draw, but at the same time, you have to beat everyone that’s in front of you and that’s the hard way of doing it, but it’s the more realistic way to approach the whole thing.

"I think that maybe after Q School, whether I get it or not, then I’ll probably assess the year a bit more later towards doing the Challenge Tour, back in Modus a good bit because I never like turning this down. Because it’s, I’d say, like every time I’m here, I’m improving. I’m learning about myself and if you’re not learning about yourself when you’re playing, you’re not going to improve. That’s kind of a big thing that I would tell all the young ones as well when they’re playing, that when you’re playing, even if you win, you lose, draw, whatever it is your game is, as long as you’re learning something, then you’re going to improve.”