THE mothers of Ranelagh will curse Ken Doherty. Never again will they be able to insist their offspring go to their rooms and do their homework and never go to the snooker hall again.

Ken Doherty has shown girls and boys that playing snooker, far from being a sign of a misspent youth, is vocational training.

The millionaire 27 year old world champion returned to his home in Ranelagh, Dublin, yesterday on an open top bus with what looked like half of Ranelagh travelling with him.

The other half lined the streets and spent the afternoon putting up balloons and bunting.

Ranelagh became what its inhabitants always call it, a village. For a few hours yesterday evening it ceased to be a snarl up on an AA Roadwatch report, but an urban village, where everyone knew each other and everyone knew Ken.

The village was covered in balloons and bunting, everyone was in party mood. It was the best thing that every happened to Ranelagh since Richard Crosbie landed his hot air balloon in the Ranelagh Gardens in 1785, the first manned flight in Ireland.

Outside Jason's, where Ken Doherty learnt his snooker, Jimmy McElroy, was setting up a table with glasses and champagne, while trying to get the young heirs to Ken Doherty to line the road and wave little tricolours. Jason's is 21 years old this year and so is the Crucible (where Doherty won the title last Monday), said Jimmy.

Eric O'Brien (12), Jason Kinsella (9) and Adrian Tracy (8) need no career guidance. They want to be snooker professionals and Eric already has his own cue.

Outside Magnos chipper, Mrs Marie Demurro, says she has known Ken since he was three years old.

All the shops, the bank, the pubs, the supermarkets and even the estate agents had banners welcoming Ken home. "King Ken", "Well done Ken" and "welcome home Ken" was all over the shop fronts.

Even the PD's and the Dublin South East constituency had "well done Ken" posters in their windows, though Bertie Ahern's picture was bigger than anything of the world champion. The local PD TD, Michael McDowell, was among the crowd ensuring the snooker vote at the next election.

Inside Jason's the crowd of family, friends and media were herded upstairs, while stared at by a few serious players who did not look too kindly to their game being interrupted, even by the world champion.

In a private room with one table, Ken sort of relaxed for the first time all day. This was the room where he practised. Here now was the World championship trophy, his manager, Ian Doyle, his mother Rose, his family, neighbours, as well as reporters, photographers and broadcasters. Just as he got into the room a microphone was stuck into his face, for a live interview with BBC Radio 5. A local Dublin station also interviewed him, while one man asked Ken's manager if he could ghost Ken's biography.

At the table was Ken's prodigy, the new young number one at Jason's, 13 year old James Tracy, of whom great things are expected.