The internet is a crazy place. It’s not just a place to look at cat videos when you’re bored, nor is it just a place for learning either. For some it’s a safe haven, for others, it’s a place to have fun. The internet is home to a gaming community that I have been a part of for years. That community is a close-knit conglomerate of people with one shared interest – Counter Strike. The game is comparatively small to others in Ireland, but the smaller number of players means that everyone knows each other. Every few months, a LAN tournament may be held in Belfast or Dublin, and members of said community flock – sometimes from across the country – to compete, have fun, and meet their online friends in real life. In that sense, it’s not just a game. This very website, Irish Tech, was founded by myself, Jack Price, and Evin Kierans. All of us met through our love of Counter Strike.

Earlier this month, a man by the name of Pat Kelly from Kildare tragically passed away in an accident in the Netherlands. Word soon broke out in the Irish Counter Strike community that it was that Pat Kelly, a Pat Kelly of whom many of us were familiar with. Online he was “PDOGG”, but in real life, he had been a player for the Nurney GAA Club for the past few years. Everybody knew him, and as it turned out, he was active in the UK Counter Strike scene as well. There’s a pretty big overlap between Irish Counter Strike and UK Counter Strike, as players looking to get noticed or play more games may instead prefer to play versus UK players, thanks to the much larger player base.

Both the UK and Ireland has its own central hub for Counter Strike – in Ireland, it’s called ICL, and in the UK, it’s called the UK Circuit. In tandem, both hubs have decided to work together to organise a buy-in tournament in Pat’s memory, which will take place this Saturday. A minimum donation of €2 is highly recommended to play in the tournament, and £440 has already been raised in Pat Kelly’s name which will be donated to the family. The initial target of £300 was met quickly, and with two days to go until the tournament itself, it shows no signs of slowing. All proceeds from the tournament (which will be streamed online) will also go towards the fundraiser.

In memorial of Pat ‘PDOGG’ Kelly, we will be holding a remembrance tournament in conjunction with the UK Circuit. This will take place on Saturday 21/9 6pm. We ask that everyone donates at least €2 to the justgiving to play. https://t.co/7a6QKn56HK — Irish Challenger League 🇮🇪 (@hub_icl) September 19, 2019