Is there a traitor among us? Carrigaline local taking part in hit RTÉ show

The Traitors Ireland made a dramatic entrance on RTÉ last Sunday night, pulling in a staggering audience of over 600,000 viewers for its debut episode. Among the 24 contestants vying for the €50,000 prize is Christine Duff, one of two Cork natives in the game, writes Tara Maher.

Originally from Ballincollig and now living in Carrigaline, Christine may be familiar to locals from her 2023 appearance in the Carrigaline & District Lions Club's Strictly Come Dancing fundraiser. This year, however, she’s traded sequins for strategy as she battles for survival in one of TV’s most gripping reality formats.

For those yet to dive in, The Traitors began as De Verraders in the Netherlands before becoming a global phenomenon, with hit adaptations in the US, UK, and now Ireland. RTÉ acquired the rights earlier this year, appointing Derry Girls star, and most importantly, Cork woman, Siobhán McSweeney as the host and the game's puppet master.

The premise? At the start of the competition, Siobhán secretly taps three contestants on the shoulder at the iconic round table, designating them as ‘Traitors’. Their mission: to ‘murder’ fellow contestants without getting caught. The rest, known as ‘Faithfuls’, must sniff them out and banish them in daily meetings. If the Faithfuls eliminate all Traitors by the finale, they split the €50,000. But if any Traitors remain, they steal the entire prize.

Christine lives in Carrigaline.

Despite only four episodes airing so far, The Traitors Ireland is already being hailed as one of the standout shows of the year, delivering drama, deception, and unforgettable one-liners. Who could forget Andrew’s “daddy” slip or Christine’s now-iconic “D is for dope” moment?

Last Tuesday night's episode was one of the most explosive episodes in Irish TV history, and the last episode to air before the current edition of The Carrigdhoun went to print.

The faithfuls finally managed to banish three traitors in a row, a record for the series but Paudie has somehow managed to leave every roundtable unscathed.

Last night our very own Christine managed to (finally!) get her hands on the shield when she was saved from death row.

But two questions still remain, who has Paudie decided to murder? and who will he blackmail to join him in the conclave ...

The Traitors Ireland returns to our screens tonight at 9:30pm.