| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Established | 1927 |
| Organisation(s) | NIBSA |
| Format | Amateur event |
| Recent edition | 2024 |
| Current champion |  Darren Dornan |
The Northern Ireland Amateur Championship (often referred to as the Northern Ireland Championship) is an annual snooker competition. It is the most prestigious amateur event in Northern Ireland.
The first year of the championship was 1927, when G. Barron defeated G.R. Duff. It was not held in the years 1940 and 1942–44 due to World War II and in 1972 and 1973 because of The Troubles. [1]
Many players who have appeared in the final of the tournament have gone on to be professional, most notably including two-time World Snooker Champion Alex Higgins, former world number one Mark Allen, 25-time Irish Professional Champion Jackie Rea, World Championship semi-finalist Joe Swail, World Championship quarter-finalist Patrick Wallace (who has won the competition a record eight times) and ranking event winner Jordan Brown.
Other players who have gone on to be professional include Tommy Murphy, Jack McLaughlin, Martin O’Neill, Michael Duffy, Declan Hughes, Julian Logue, Joe Meara, Sean O'Neill, Dermot McGlinchey and Robbie McGuigan. Currently Allen, Brown and McGuigan are playing on the World Snooker Tour.
The current champion is Darren Dornan, who defeated Ryan McQuillan 10–5 in the 2024 final to win the national title for the first time in his career
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Final score | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amateur | |||||
| 1927 [2] | Gibson Barron | Robert Duff | 381–331 [nb 1] | ||
| 1928 [3] | J. Perry | J. Blackburn | 414–327 [nb 1] | ||
| 1929 [4] | W. Little | Capt. John Ross | 282–276 [nb 2] | ||
| 1930 [5] | J. Luney | Gibson Barron | 351–285 [nb 1] | ||
| 1931 [6] | Jack McNally | W.R. Mills | 288–273 [nb 2] | ||
| 1932 [7] | Capt. John Ross | W.R. Mills | 266–207 [nb 2] | ||
| 1933 [8] | J. French | J. Chambers | 281–218 [nb 2] | ||
| 1934 | Capt. John Ross | W. Price | 329–199 [nb 2] | ||
| 1935 | Billy Agnew | Capt. John Ross | 281–227 [nb 2] | ||
| 1936 [9] | W. Lowe | Sam Brooks | 326–228 [nb 2] | ||
| 1937 | J. Chambers | J. Blackburn | 4–0 | ||
| 1938 | Jack McNally | Billy Sanlon | 4–3 | ||
| 1939 | Jack McNally | Sam Brooks | 4–3 | ||
| 1940 | No competition due to World War II | ||||
| 1941 | Jack McNally | A. Heron | 4–2 | ||
| 1942–1944 | No competition due to World War II | ||||
| 1945 | Jack McNally | Charles Downey | 4–0 | ||
| 1946 | Jack McNally | Jackie Rea | 4–3 | ||
| 1947 | Jackie Rea | Jack Bates | 4–2 | ||
| 1948 | Jack Bates | Ted Haslam | 4–1 | ||
| 1949 | Jack Bates | Jim Stevenson | 4–2 | ||
| 1950 | Jack Bates | John Dickinson | 4–2 | ||
| 1951 | Jim Stevenson | Ted Haslam | 4–1 | ||
| 1952 | Jim Stevenson | Dan Turley | 4–1 | ||
| 1953 | Jim Stevenson | Joe Thompson | 4–1 | ||
| 1954 | Billy Seeds | Jim Stevenson | 4–2 | ||
| 1955 | Jim Stevenson | Maurice Gill | 4–1 | ||
| 1956 | Sam Brooks | George Lyttle | 4–3 | ||
| 1957 | Maurice Gill | Dessie Anderson | 4–1 | ||
| 1958 | Billy Agnew | Billy Hanna | 4–3 | ||
| 1959 | Billy Hanna | Billy Seeds | 4–3 | ||
| 1960 | Maurice Gill | Dessie Anderson | 4–3 | ||
| 1961 | Dessie Anderson | Maurice Gill | 4–1 | ||
| 1962 | Sean McMahon | Dessie Anderson | 4–2 | ||
| 1963 | Dessie Anderson | Jimmy Clint | 4–2 | ||
| 1964 |  Paddy Morgan | Maurice Gill | 4–2 | ||
| 1965 | Maurice Gill | Sammy Crothers | 4–1 | ||
| 1966 | Sammy Crothers | Billy Caughey | 4–3 | ||
| 1967 | Dessie Anderson | Sammy Crothers | 4–1 | ||
| 1968 | Alex Higgins | Maurice Gill | 4–1 | ||
| 1969 | Dessie Anderson | Alex Higgins | 4–0 | ||
| 1970 | Jimmy Clint | Noel McCann | 4–3 | ||
| 1971 | Sammy Crothers | Dessie Anderson | 4–2 | ||
| 1972 [10] | No competition due to the Northern Ireland conflict | ||||
| 1973 [11] | |||||
| 1974 | Paddy Donnelly | Sammy Pavis | 4–1 | ||
| 1975 | Jimmy Clint | Sean McMahon | 4–1 | ||
| 1976 | Eddie Swaffield | Donal McVeigh | 4–1 | ||
| 1977 | Donal McVeigh | George Maxwell | 4–0 | ||
| 1978 | Donal McVeigh | Liam McCann | 4–2 | ||
| 1979 | Raymond Burke | Jim Begley | 4–3 | ||
| 1980 | Sammy Clarke | Donal McVeigh | 4–3 | ||
| 1981 | Tommy Murphy | Billy Mills | 4–3 | ||
| 1982 | Sammy Pavis | Kieran Erwin | 9–8 | ||
| 1983 | Jack McLaughlin | John McIntyre | 10–4 | ||
| 1984 | Jack McLaughlin | Harry Morgan | 10–3 | ||
| 1985 [12] | Sammy Pavis | Kieran Erwin | 10–9 | ||
| 1986 | Colin Sewell | Gordon Campbell | 10–4 | ||
| 1987 | Seamus McClarey | Gordon Campbell | 10–4 | ||
| 1988 | Paul Doran | Joe Swail | 10–7 | ||
| 1989 | Harry Morgan | Martin O'Neill | 10–5 | ||
| 1990 | Kieran McAlinden | Martin O'Neill | 10–9 | ||
| 1991 | Michael Duffy | Joe Swail | 10–9 | ||
| 1992 | Declan Hughes | Andy Sharpe | 10–8 | ||
| 1993 | Patrick Wallace | Kieran Erwin | 10–8 | ||
| 1994 | Kieran McAlinden | Michael Duffy | 10–6 | ||
| 1995 | Julian Logue | Colin Bingham | 10–4 | ||
| 1996 | Joe Meara | Paul King | 10–6 | ||
| 1997 | Jonathan Nelson | Paddy Doherty | 10–5 | ||
| 1998 | Martin O'Neill | Jonathan Nelson | 10–8 | ||
| 1999 | Michael Duffy | Kieran McMahon | 10–2 | ||
| 2000 | Patrick Wallace | Barry McNamee | 10–2 | ||
| 2001 | Sean O'Neill | Julian Logue | 10–5 | ||
| 2002 | Joe Meara | Jonathan Nelson | 10–7 | ||
| 2003 | Mark Allen | Colin Bingham | 10–4 | ||
| 2004 | Colin Bingham | Joe Meara | 10–9 | ||
| 2005 | Mark Allen | Kieran McMahon | 10–1 | ||
| 2006 | Dermot McGlinchey | Kieran McMahon | 10–9 | ||
| 2007 [13] | Patrick Wallace | Joe Meara | 10–5 | ||
| 2008 [14] | Jordan Brown | Julian Logue | 10–9 | ||
| 2009 [15] | Jordan Brown | Dermot McGlinchey | 10–4 | ||
| 2010 [16] | Dermot McGlinchey | Kieran McMahon | 10–8 | ||
| 2011 [17] | Kieran McMahon | Brian Milne | 10–5 | ||
| 2012 | Patrick Wallace | Dermot McGlinchey | 10–4 | ||
| 2013 | Patrick Wallace | Jordan Brown | 10–4 | ||
| 2014 | Patrick Wallace | Raymond McAllister | 10–4 | ||
| 2015 [18] | Patrick Wallace | Jordan Brown | 10–2 | ||
| 2016 [19] | Patrick Wallace | Jordan Brown | 10–8 | ||
| 2017 | Jordan Brown | Dermot McGlinchey | 10–8 | ||
| 2018 | Jordan Brown | Patrick Wallace | 10–5 | ||
| 2019 [20] | Declan Lavery | Darren Dornan | 10–5 | ||
| 2020 | Declan Lavery | Robbie McGuigan | 10–9 | ||
| 2021 [21] | Robbie McGuigan | Rab McCullagh | 10–4 | ||
| 2022 [22] | Robbie McGuigan | Rab McCullagh | 10–6 | ||
| 2023 [23] | Robbie McGuigan | Raymond Fry | 10–8 | ||
| 2024 [24] | Darren Dornan | Ryan McQuillan | 10–5 | ||
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