Emma in world jigsaw final!

Granddaughter of well-known Nenagh couple Pat and Patricia Ahern, Emma Quirke, made it to the final of the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship in Spain last month.

Emma (24) regularly visits the Yewston home of her grandparents, renowned for the Christmas lights spectacle they have organsed for more than 30 years. Living in Kerry, she often came to Nenagh when growing up and bought many of her jigsaws locally at JKC’s toy shop.

This early love of jigsaws inspired Emma to make them competitively, racing against the clock to complete puzzles faster than anyone else. She and her father Darren represented Ireland at this year's world championships in Valladolid.

She got through her first heat to the semi final, where she shocked the commentators when the camera zoomed in on her finishing in fourth place after completing a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle within a time of 36 minutes and 36 seconds. They mentioned Emma, a newcomer to the competition, as “someone off the radar”.

In the final of 200 participants, she completed another 500-piece puzzle in 49 minutes and 26 seconds, placing her 33rd.

In the pairs category, Emma and her father, a GP in Killarney, got through to the final. There they completed a 1,000-piece previously unseen puzzle specially designed for the final in a time of one hour, 23 minutes, placing them 73rd. The jigsaw depicted all Valladolid has to offer, including the dome where the competition is held each year.

A schoolteacher working in Blessington, Co Wicklow, Emma and some fellow Irish participants have since set up the Irish Jigsaw Association on Facebook for anyone who is interested in jigsaws to join. She recently spoke about her experience on RTÉ radio with Oliver Callan.

You can follow Emma on Instagram - thequirkeypuzzler.