By Sean Cunningham
With more than 60 years’ involvement in the Irish snooker scene, local man Seamus McGivern has witnessed it all when it comes to the green baize in Ireland. Yet for the Drumaness man, nothing will ever match the exhibition event which took place 40 years ago in the Millbrook Lodge Hotel, Ballynahinch.
Newly crowned world champion Dennis Taylor famously visited the Newcastle Road venue for an evening that McGivern still vividly recalls.
“Hundreds of people couldn’t get tickets, it was packed to the gills. I was a little nervous, as I had to play Dennis first! I’ll never forget, hitting the first ball of the evening with the break-off and leaving Dennis snookered tight in behind the brown ball.
“Dennis humorously quipped to the crowd, ‘Welcome back to Ireland!,’” Seamus said.
With his network of connections, few were surprised that McGivern was able to entice Taylor to play the exhibition, which he organised as part of the Ballynahinch Festival. The timing, however, was the fascinating aspect.
Seamus explained: “I had booked Dennis a month prior to the tournament in Sheffield. Knowing he was very much a man of his word, I knew that, irrespective of the fact he’d just become the most famous player on the planet, he’d stick to our agreement.”
The other players to feature against Taylor that evening were John Weston, Conn Baker, Barney McKibben, Paul Ferris, Marty Morgan, Emmanuel Byrne, and Mark Gibson. The latter was the Olympic paraplegic gold medal winner, and he managed to snatch a victory against Taylor on the final ball of the final frame.
Dennis congratulated his conqueror and quipped, “Now I know how Steve Davis felt.”
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