Modern snooker just celebrated a Birth Day back in 1875 in India by a bored British Officer !
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A bit of a side note , during the hay day of mining in Butte Montana there were more people from Ireland living and working in the area around Butte than there were living in Dublin !Good article. But I think it will prompt me to learn a bit more about the history of cue sports in the USA which is much richer than the history of the single discipline of snooker. Interestingly it prompted me to look up Neville Chamberlain who is not the Prime Minister one. Late in his career, the snooker inventor had to resign after the Easter Rising in Dublin. British troops used artillery in town, plenty of wounded and killed, a bad event needless to say. In looking up more on American billiards history I saw an article I hadn’t seen before.
Michael Phelan: Father of American Pool, Irish Seditionist - Pool History
Pool aficionados know him as the sport’s first true champion; as a famous promoter, innovator and author. But what may come a surprise is that the man rightfully considered the father of our sport also conspired openly against the British government.poolhistory.com
Long before the Easter Rising, it looks like a giant figure in American cue sports was supporting the Irish movement that some years later would involve the inventor of snooker. I should add that there was no specific wrongdoing found for Chamberlain in his role with the Royal Irish Constabulary but criticism of how intelligence was handled led to his resignation it looks like.
St Patrick's Day can be quite interesting to say the least if you ever get the chance to attend !
