Tributes to former snooker champion (43) after tragic death

Tributes to former snooker champion (43) after tragic death

21 June 2023

TRIBUTES have been paid to local man Eamonn Hogan, who died tragically last week.

Mr Hogan, who was 43, passed away in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast on Thursday after suffering an allergic reaction to a wasp sting.

Mr Hogan was a keen snooker player and a former member of the Downpatrick and District Snooker and Billiards League.

His other great love was Gaelic football and he was a former secretary of the RGU club in Downpatrick. He was also an avid Liverpool fan.

Mr Hogan’s father, Tom, described his son as a “fearless snooker player who won five league titles and countless cups”.

He continued: “Every Monday morning he would ring me up to see where the top player on the opposing team for that night’s league match would be playing.

“He always wanted to play their best player and for a quite a few seasons he never lost 2-0.

“Although Eamonn’s team is no longer in the league, I will always remember those wonderful matches we played together.”

The Downpatrick and District Snooker and Billiards League said its was saddened to learn of Mr Hogan’s “tragic and untimely death”.

A league spokesman said: “A tenacious competitor on the table, Eamonn had many successes playing alongside his dad Tom in the local leagues.”

The league has extended its sympathy to Mr Hogan’s family.