Fergal O'Brien has been one of Ireland's top snooker professionals for six years and is currently ranked number 20 in the world. Last week he came back from a 7-3 deficit against Ken Doherty to reach the quarter-final of the Liverpool Victoria UK Championship.
O'Brien joined Raphael's last year. The club was established 15 years ago by Raphael Hemeryck and is located in the centre of Lucan village.
Membership: It is an open club so there is no exact number. There are about 17 tables at the moment and they obviously cater for players of all standards.
Status: The club doesn't actually play in the amateur leagues but the Bus Eireann club is resident here. The main thing is the relaxed atmosphere of the place plus the fact that it is very well run and looked after. There is also a non-smoking section and that has proven quite popular.
Honours: Most of the competitions would be on an in-house basis and as the resident professional, I don't actually represent the club. In addition you do get players of all standards doing well in competitions outside the club.
Finest Hour: It's hard to pin-point one moment but getting to the final of the World Cup a few years back with Ken Doherty and Stephen Murphy was a great success even if we ended up losing to Scotland.
Club Hero: Leyna Hemeryck does so much work in running the place. And there is Tommy Ennis and Barry Donnelly - both snooker fanatics - who are always there to open the place if I need to get in early for some practice.
Greatest Rivals: Any of the clubs in Dublin would only be rivals on a friendly basis. I suppose as a professional all my competitors are seen as great rivals.
