Irish Amateur Championship (snooker)
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Ivy Room |
| Location | Carlow |
| Country | Ireland |
| Established | 1927 |
| Organisation(s) | Snooker & Billiards Ireland (formerly RIBSA) |
| Format | Amateur event |
| Recent edition | 2025 |
| Current champion | David Morris |
The Irish Amateur Championship (occasionally known as the Irish National Championship) is an annual snooker competition played in Ireland and is the highest ranking amateur event in Ireland.
History
The competition was first established back in 1927 which was won by T.H. Fayrey. Many former champions have gone on to play on the world tour such as Colm Gilcreest, David Morris, Vincent Muldoon, Brendan O'Donoghue, Rodney Goggins and, most notably, twice winner Ken Doherty. He went on to become the only former Irish champion to win the World Snooker Championship in 1997, when he ended Stephen Hendry's run of five consecutive wins.
Brendan O'Donoghue is the most successful player in the tournament's history, having won the competition a record seven times in the modern era. The reigning champion is David Morris, who defeated O'Donoghue 7–1 in the 2025 final to win the national title for the fifth time in his career.
Winners
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Final score | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amateur event | |||||
| 1931 | J. Ayres[3] | ||||
| 1932: Not contested[3] | |||||
| 1933 | Seumas Fenning[3] | ||||
| 1934: Not contested[3] | |||||
| 1935 | Seumas Fenning[3] | ||||
| 1936: Not contested[3] | |||||
| 1937 | P. J. O'Connor[3] | ||||
| 1938–1939: Not contested[3] | |||||
| 1940 | Pete Merrigan[3] | ||||
| 1941: Not contested[3] | |||||
| 1942 | P. J. O'Connor[3] | ||||
| 1943: Not contested[3] | |||||
| 1944 | Seumas Fenning[3] | ||||
| 1945–1946: Not contested[3] | |||||
| 1947 | Charlie Downey[3] | ||||
| 1948 | Pete Merrigan[3] | ||||
| 1949 | Seumas Fenning[3] | ||||
| 1950–1951: Not contested[3] | |||||
| 1952 | W. Brown[3] | ||||
| 1953 | S. Brooks[3] | ||||
| 1954 | Seumas Fenning[3] | ||||
| 1955 | Seumas Fenning[3] | ||||
| 1956 | W. Brown[3] | ||||
| 1957 | J. Connolly[3] | ||||
| 1958 | G. Gibson[3] | ||||
| 1959–1960: Not contested[3] | |||||
| 1961 | W. Brown[3] | ||||
| 1962 | J. Weber[3] | ||||
| 1963 | J. Rogers[3] | ||||
| 1964 | J. Rogers[3] | ||||
| 1965 | W. Fields[3] | ||||
| 1966 | G. Hanway[3] | ||||
| 1967 | Paddy Morgan[3] | Billy Kelly | |||
| 1968 | G. Hanway[3] | ||||
| 1969 | D. Dally[3] | ||||
| 1970 | Dessie Sheehan[3] | ||||
| 1971 | Dessie Sheehan[3] | ||||
| 1972 | J. Rogers[3] | ||||
| 1973 | F. Murphy[3] | ||||
| 1974 | P. Burke[3] | ||||
| 1975 | F. Nathan[3] | ||||
| 1976 | P. Burke[3] | ||||
| 1977 | J. Clusker[3] | ||||
| 1978 | Eugene Hughes[3] | ||||
| 1979 | Eugene Hughes[3] | ||||
| 1980 | Dessie Sheehan[3] | ||||
| 1981 | A. Kearney[3] | ||||
| 1982 | Paddy Browne[3] | ||||
| 1983 | J. Long[3] | ||||
| 1984 | Paul Ennis[3] | ||||
| 1985 | Gay Burns | Ken Doherty | 11–6 | ||
| 1986 | Gay Burns | Damien McKiernan | 8–3 | ||
| 1987 | Ken Doherty | Richard Nolan | 8–7 | ||
| 1988 | John Buckley | Stephen Murphy | 8–7 | ||
| 1989 | Ken Doherty | Anthony O'Connor | 8–5 | ||
| 1990 | Stephen O'Connor | Richie McHugh | 8–7 | ||
| 1991 | Jason Watson | Joe Canny | 8–5 | ||
| 1992 | Jason Watson | Douglas Hogan | 8–3 | ||
| 1993 | Colm Gilcreest | Jason Watson | 8–7 | ||
| 1994 | Mick Kane | Tom Gleeson | 8–4 | ||
| 1995 | Tom Gleeson | Paul Ennis | 8–5 | ||
| 1996 | Joe Canny | Shay Clinton | 8–1 | ||
| 1997 | TJ Dowling | Garry Hardiman | 8–6 | ||
| 1998 | TJ Dowling | Douglas Hogan | 8–3 | ||
| 1999 | Joe Canny | Stanley Murphy | 8–3 | ||
| 2000 | Rodney Goggins | Garry Hardiman | 8–7 | ||
| 2001[4] | Martin McCrudden | Brendan O'Donoghue | 8–5 | ||
| 2002 | Jason Watson | Tom Gleeson | 8–2 | ||
| 2003 | Brendan O'Donoghue | Martin McCrudden | 8–5 | ||
| 2004 | David Morris | Rodney Goggins | 8–4 | ||
| 2005 | David Morris | Brendan O'Donoghue | 8–2 | ||
| 2006 | David Morris | Brendan O'Donoghue | 8–2 | ||
| 2007 | Vincent Muldoon | John Torpey | 8–2 | ||
| 2008 | Vincent Muldoon | Garry Hardiman | 8–4 | ||
| 2009 | Martin McCrudden | David Hogan | 8–6 | ||
| 2010 | Martin McCrudden | Vincent Muldoon | 8–6 | ||
| 2011[5] | Jason Devaney | David Hogan | 8–6 | ||
| 2012[6] | Vincent Muldoon | Martin McCrudden | 10–5 | ||
| 2013[7] | Michael Judge | Robert Redmond | 8–5 | ||
| 2014[8] | Martin McCrudden | Michael Judge | 7–3 | ||
| 2015[9] | Brendan O'Donoghue | Robert Murphy | 7–2 | ||
| 2016[10] | TJ Dowling | Jonathan Williams | 7–3 | ||
| 2017[11] | Brendan O'Donoghue | Rodney Goggins | 7–3 | ||
| 2018[12] | Michael Judge | Rodney Goggins | 6–5 | ||
| 2019[13] | David Morris | Josh Boileau | 7–3 | ||
| 2020 | Tournament Not Held | ||||
| 2021[14] | Brendan O'Donoghue | David Morris | 6–5 | ||
| 2022[15] | Brendan O'Donoghue | Ryan Cronin | 7–4 | ||
| 2023[16] | Brendan O'Donoghue | Ross Bulman | 7–5 | ||
| 2024[17] | Brendan O'Donoghue | Ross Bulman | 7–5 | ||
| 2025[18] | David Morris | Brendan O'Donoghue | 7–1 | ||
References
- ^ "Irish Amateur Championship History". ribsa.ie. Republic Of Ireland Billiards & Snooker Association. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
- ^ "Rep. of Irl. Snooker C/Ship" (PDF). Cork Billiards & Snooker. May 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax Hale, Janice (1987). Rothmans Snooker Yearbook 1987-88. Aylesbury: Queen Anne Press. p. 313. ISBN 0356146901.
- ^ "McCrudden takes snooker championship title". RTÉ. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2007.
- ^ "Devaney creates Irish snooker history". RTÉ. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
- ^ "Muldoon Wraps up Season with Irish Championship". snookerhq.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ^ "Irish Scene: Judge Wins National Championship". snookerhq.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
- ^ "McCrudden Lands Fourth National Title". snookerhq.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ^ "O'Donoghue Wins Senior Championships". ribsa.ie. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ^ "TJ Dowling claims National Snooker Championship". RTÉ. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ "Brendan O'Donoghue Wins Irish National Championship". snookerhq.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "Michael Judge Wins Irish National Championship". snookerhq.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "Morris Crowned Irish Champion for Fourth Time". World Snooker Federation. 16 May 2019. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "National Championships Claimed in Ireland and Wales". WPBSA. 21 December 2021. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "Fantastic Five for O'Donoghue in Ireland". WPBSA. 23 May 2022. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "Super Six for O'Donoghue in Ireland". WPBSA. 16 May 2023. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "WPBSA International Round-Up May 2024". WPBSA. 24 May 2024. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "WPBSA International Summer Round-Up". WPBSA. 17 September 2025. Archived from the original on 7 October 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2026.