The All Ireland Snooker Club Championships will take place at the Gleneagle Hotel and events centre in Killarney from Thursday 26th – 29th January
For many amateur snooker players around Ireland, the national club championship is the most anticipated snooker event of the year as teams from all areas of Ireland travel to Killarney for a long weekend of snooker. What makes this event even more special is the location.
Now in its 37th year, more than 1000 people will visit the Gleneage Hotel to watch more than 40 teams of five compete to be crowned all Ireland champions over an A and B championship.
Last year’s winners were The New Institute Snooker Club Nenagh, Co Tipperary (A Championship) and Potters Snooker Club Drogheda, Co Louth (B Championship).
Killarney is one of the most idyllic locations on the planet, with picturesque mountains, waterfalls and forest walks to keep any traveller busy during the day. The town of Killarney itself was built around the tourism industry, as practically every building in the town is either a hotel or B&B. At night Killarney is a popular spot for those fond of a few drinks with the countless bars and clubs around the town.
For most snooker players travelling to the Club Championships
(myself included), it’s mostly about the snooker, a few drinks and the general buzz around the event.
For the club i play for in particular (Potters snooker club Drogheda), we’ve been talking about Killarney since November. Each and every year I’ve travelled to Killarney, it’s been a cracking weekend with lots to talk about after. Yes it’s about the snooker mostly, but for me it’s about being around a great bunch of people who have a strong common interest. I suspect even if our team didn’t qualify, we’d still find ourselves in Killarney, even just as volunteer referee’s.
There will be a main arena with 10 snooker tables and a second, smaller room with 5 tables. Each team will have five players, so at any one time, three separate club matches will be played over an A and B championship.
The group stages will take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday with the final stages played on the Saturday and Sunday.
For those wishing to come as spectators, there is no fee.
