Is this an antique filling cabinet or what is the name?

Your mate might be right, at first glance it certainly looks like an apothecary cabinet. 

It could be worth a few bob, there's a lot of work gone into making all those drawers ya'know. They can look like an interesting piece of furniture when painted in with a kitchen as storage for spices say.

These two are currently both for sale on Adverts.ie and Donedeal.