Two Of The Most Interesting Traitors Contestants Have Strong Family Links To Limerick GAA Star

Warning this article contains major spoilers on the Traitors Ireland

The Irish version of The Traitors launched this week, and after two episodes, it's been a pretty good watch.

The show has maintained all of the trappings from the UK and Australia editions which have turned it into a global phenomenon, but there are subtle Irish twists, like the challenge using Irish in episode 2.

For viewers in this country, there is the great Irish curiosity of trying to figure out where you know these people from.

It turns out three contestants are already pretty well-known outside of the show.

It was inevitable that there'd be a character from a GAA background, and it is happens, the closest GAA links to the show come from programme's two most intriguing characters.

Viewers learned in episode one that Paudie and Andrew are father and son. Their secret is complicated by the fact that Paudie is a traitor but Andrew is a faithful.

Please excuse us while we pick our jaws up off the floor... THAT TWIST 😮 pic.twitter.com/yz9ygPfQFw

— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) August 31, 2025

It turns out Paudie and Andrew have strong connections to a well-known GAA family in Kilmallock, Co. Limerick.

Andrew is the uncle to Limerick hurler Shane 'The Bull' O'Brien, while Paudie is his grandfather.

We're indebted to the work of Kayley Hardiman in the Limerick Leader who revealed on Monday that Andrew's sister Edwina is married to Shane O'Brien's father Adrian, who's also from Kilmallock.

Adrian took on the role of Limerick's head of strength and conditioning heading into the 2025 season. He's also worked with the Clare hurlers, and successful hurling clubs like St Finbarr's in Cork and Ballyea in Clare.

The Paudie-Andrew dynamic is one of the most interesting tensions after two episodes.

Andrew accidentally called Paudie 'Daddy' during Monday's episode, which caused plenty of reaction on social media.

Paudie meanwhile looks visibly uncomfortable any time fellow traitor Eamon suggests banishing his son.

The retired prison guard has plenty of other fires to fight, as faithful Mark voted against him and accused him of being a traitor to the rest of the group during episode two's banishment.