Michael Phelan (billiards)
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Michael Phelan (April 18, 1819 – October 7, 1871) was an Irish-born American
billiards Cue sports are a wide variety of games of skill played with a cue stick, which is used to strike billiard balls and thereby cause them to move around a cloth-covered table bounded by elastic bumpers known as . Cue sports, a category of stic ...
player, manufacturer and owner of billiard parlors. He was the first billiards star in the US. In 1850, he published ''Billiards Without A Master'', the first book published in the US on the science, etiquette, and game rules of billiards.


Early years

Phelan was born in
Castlecomer Castlecomer (,Castlecomer/Caisleán an Chomair
Placenames Database of Ireland.
'castle at ...
,
County Kilkenny County Kilkenny () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the City status in Ir ...
, Ireland, in 1819 (some records say 1816). His father emigrated to the US that same year, and established himself in the billiard business, running as many as three or four rooms in different parts of
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
at the same time. With much success and liking the country, in 1823, the father sent for his family in Ireland. Phelan remembered his arrival to the US, as well as the billiard table in one of his father's rooms, and how captivated he was when allowed to shove the balls around with the mace; and thus he dated his billiard experience from that time. He was not allowed to use the cue until he was 15, and then, almost immediately, became a good player.


Career

His father apprenticed Phelan to learn a trade, manufacturing jewelry. But after attaining the age of majority, and having married (circa 1837), Phelan was determined to adopt the billiards business for a livelihood. As his father had previously died, Phelan became an attendant at a billiard room. By 1850, Phelan had come to be looked upon as the most expert and scientific player in the country; and in the same year he prepared a work entitled "Billiards Without a Master," which enjoyed a large sale, and was the first book published in the US on the science, etiquette, and game rules of billiards. Phelan was determined to produce an American billiard table that would become the standard model for the whole world. He visited Europe in the fall of 1851, and on his return, in 1852, he had the idea of starting a model billiard-table factory. He left the East Coast in the fall of 1854, and arrived in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, where he opened an elegant billiard hall which immediately became one of the chief points of interest of the city. Phelan continued his success as a player and was again pronounced unconquerable. In 1854, he invented a new cushion, which was noted for its elastic and lasting qualities. To assist with aim, he added diamonds to the table. Tobias O'Connor and Hugh William Collender manufactured some of the first tables as part of a distinct business, and, in 1854, Phelan gained an interest in the manufacturing business, with the company name changed to Phelan & Collender. On April 12, 1859, Phelan won the first U.S. national billiards championship. The company was dissolved by Collender in 1871 after Phelan's death. Phelan died in 1871. Billiards player, manufacturer and owner of billiard parlors, Phelan was the first billiards star in the US. He was inducted into the
Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame This is the list of people inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's hall of fame to honor outstanding people who, through their competitive skills and dedication, have enriched the sport and industry. Two categories have been established in ...
in 1993.


Personal life

Phelan owned a summer home at Locust Point, Shrewsbury River. He was married to Ann, and they had two daughters, Julia, who married Collender, and Maggie, as well as one son, George, who had been a member of Phelan & Collender. Phelan is buried at Calvary Cemetery.


Selected works

* 1850: ''Billiards without a master'' (with D. D. Winant) * 1858: ''The Game of Billiards'' * 1863: ''The Illustrated Hand-book of Billiards'' (with Claudius Berger) * 1864: ''Billiard almanac and New York guide'' * 1870: ''The American billiard record''


References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Phelan, Michael 1819 births 1871 deaths People from Castlecomer Cue sports equipment manufacturers American pool players Businesspeople from County Kilkenny Sportspeople from County Kilkenny Irish emigrants to the United States