Alex Higgins, world champion snooker player twice over, died last summer alone in his native Belfast. Although a tragic figure in death, he had lived up to his nickname as “The Hurricane” and stormed the professional snooker world hitting the headlines throughout his career – not always for the right reasons. Higgins began playing snooker when he was nine years of age but really wanted to be a jockey. After failing to make it as an apprentice jockey in England he switched back to snooker and quickly rose through the ranks, reaching world class level within a few short years. In 1972 he won the World Championship. His unorthodox style of play, as well as his showmanship, set him apart. Alex arrived on the snooker scene at a key moment; up to then Snooker was an obscure, minority sport with a shady reputation of dark, smoke-filled rooms but in the 1970s snooker became a hugely popular TV sport and the top players were stars. In this pantheon Alex Higgins became the “People’s Champion”. But wherever Alex went trouble never seemed far behind. He seemed always in conflict (often physically) with the snooker authorities. His game could be brilliant but was hugely inconsistent and that was the element of danger that attracted so much interest. With Alex you never knew what you were going to get. With contributions from Ken Doherty, Nell McCafferty, Ronan Collins, Louis Copeland, Aonghus McAnally and Ruth McAvinia – We look at the life and controversies of “The Hurricane” in the calm after his passing.