Patrick McWilliams is an Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 author, born in 1963 in Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. Amongst his main publications is the 40-volume OS Memoirs of Ireland series and subsequent index (1990-2002).

Dr McWilliams, a former pupil of St Malachy's College and a graduate of Queen's University Belfast, is prominent in the administration of cue sports at higher-education level in the United Kingdom and Ireland. He is Chair of HESPC

Higher Education Snooker and Pool Council

The Higher Education Snooker and Pool Council is a voluntary, not-for-profit organisation established to promote cue sports in institutions of higher education on the island of Ireland....

 and chairs the snooker sports management group within BUCS. He is currently the manager of the ISLES project (Irish-Scottish Links on Energy Study).