Jerome Flannery was born in Dublin on 23rd February 1865.
He was a graduate of the Catholic University, Dublin, and was a talented cricketer. In 1895, he was one of the founding members of the British Schools and Universities Club in New York. He played cricket for the Manhattan Cricket Club (founded in 1897), and helped organise the New York Metropolitan and District Cricket Association, serving as President in 1900.
He compiled and edited The American Cricket Annual in 1890 (the first year of issue), and continued as editor up to 1896. This was the definitive guide to cricket in America. In 1898 it was expanded to feature golf as The American Cricket Annual and Golf Guide, until it was eventually incorporated in Spalding's Official Cricket Guide in 1904.
Concluding a lengthy article entitled "The Game of Cricket in America" published by the New York Times on 22nd
September 1901, he wrote ...
It is not to be supposed that cricket can ever compete with baseball and football for popularity in this country. Its leisurely action
is opposed by the American athlete, who is all activity. But, to cricketers, there is an amount of real enjoyment about the sport
to be obtained in no other game. There is a degree of fairness, too, permeating the whole atmosphere of cricket which is met in few
other pastimes. In its pursuit are taught valuable lessons of patience, unselfishness, and self-control. Cricket has ever been fortunate
in the possession of men who have devoted their time, energy, and money to further its interests, and with this conspicuous feature
ever prevailing it would seem that cricket may some day assume a very prominent place among the amateur sports of this country and
obtain that share of popularity which its advocates believe to be its due."
Jerome died in Brooklyn, New York, on 7th May 1908
[his portrait is sought]