Who is Shane Lowry? From famous GAA father to golf stardom and family life with wife and kids

Shane Lowry comes from Offaly GAA sporting royalty and has managed to achieve worldwide success including a Majors win, while also being one of Ireland's most popular sport stars. 

He shot to fame with a win in the Irish Open as an amateur in 2009, when he saw off a field of professional and established golfers to win a dramatic play-off against Robert Rock in Baltray. 

Lowry was only the third amateur to win a European Tour event. 

The 22-year-old, who was ranked 16th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings at that time, beat England’s Robert Rock after three extra holes at the County Louth Golf Club were needed to decide the outcome of the contest.

After a number of missed cuts after his dramatic switch to professional ranks following his European Tour win, the Offaly man has seen steady progress, culminating in his greatest win, the British Open in 2019. He is only the second player from the Republic of Ireland to capture a Major title, along with Padraig Harrington. 

His three PGA tour wins are the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the 2019 The Open Championship and the 2015 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.

His international tour wins came in the 2009 3 Irish Open, 2012 Portugal Masters, 2019 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the 2022 BMW PGA Championship.

SPORTNG HISTORY

There are few sporting personalities who can boast the sporting pedigree of Shane Lowry. His dad was a highly skilled forward for Ferbane and Offaly. 

But the GAA footballing prowess didn't stop with Brendan, with his two brothers Sean and Mick on the starting 15 that beat Kerry in 1982 All-Ireland final, one of the most memorable finals ever played. Sean was one of the three half-backs that went upfield to score a point from play in that most dramatic of finals. 

From top left, Brendan Lowry, Seán Lowry and the Offaly team which won the 1982 All-Ireland final. Photo: Sportsfile 

Brendan's club side Ferbane was one of the most successful sides in Offaly football and won five-in-a-row titles in the mid to late 1980s, and one Leinster club title.

Uncle Sean would also enjoy a brief cameo in his inter-county career when a move to Mayo saw him clinch a Connacht title in 1985 as his career wound down. He also won All-Ireland medals in 1971 and 1972 with Offaly. 

Undoubtedly that sporting competitiveness rubbed off on Shane, and while he played underage GAA with his hometown Club, Clara, it was golf which quickly became his main sport from an early age. 

Amateur success would follow and in 2007 he was the Irish Amateur Close Champion.

Lowry was also part of the Irish teams, combined from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, winning the European Amateur Team Championship in 2007 and 2008, on the first occasion in the same team as Rory McIlroy.

It is Lowry's demeanour off the pitch which has made him so popular with Irish fans. 

On winning the British Open he insisted the homecoming parade would be staged in his native Clara, instead of official requests to host it in O'Connor Park in Tullamore. The Claret Jug was paraded and handed around the streets and pubs of Clara, after fellow Offaly-man Mundy performed for the thousands who turned up for the homecoming. 

It is the down to earth nature of Lowry which gives him such a place of affection amongst the Irish public. One example of this was his missing the wedding of long-time friend Rory McIlroy due to a family event. 

Shane Lowry revealed that he didn't attend Rory McIlroy and Erica Stoll's wedding because he was celebrating his grandmother's 80th birthday.

Speaking at the time on Today with Sean O'Rourke on RTE Radio One, the Offaly man said that he skipped the high-profile wedding in Ashford Castle, Co Mayo, because "family comes first."

"I wasn't [at the wedding], no. My granny was 80 on Saturday night so we had a birthday party for her at home. Like I said, family comes first," he said.

'I hadn't drank a brandy since 2009 - drank two yesterday, it's nearly killing me.' Shane Lowry’s grandmother speaks of a proud day pic.twitter.com/qqgCBRifNC

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) July 22, 2019

His granny Emily Scanlon stole the stage at his homecoming, while serenading the crowd with the 'The Little Town of Clara'.

She previously revealed that on winning the Mullingar Scratch Cup, he felt he should be exempt from bringing in turf as Tiger Woods wouldn't have to. 

FAMILY

Off the field, family is particularly important for Lowry. He is married to Wendy, a Laois native. 

Shane Lowry with his granny Emily and wife Wendy at his homecoming in Clara. Photo: Sportsfile

Shane first met his partner Wendy Honner in 2012 on a night-out, and he proposed to her just two years later.

Following their engagement in 2014, the couple got married in April 2016.

They have two daughters, Iris and Ivy. 

Having grown up watching his father and uncles' exploits in an Offaly jersey, it's not surprising that he is a great supporter of Offaly and has provided financial backing for the county underage setup. 

Shane Lowry pictured in Croke Park after Offaly won the All-Ireland final in 2021. Photo: Sportsfile

GAA

In 2021, a partnership was announced between Offaly GAA and Shane Lowry.

The basic nuts and bolts of the partnership is that Lowry will donate a yearly figure to the County Board for each of the next five years. The figure remains undisclosed but sporting analysists suggested it could reach a six-figure sum.

The money will be ring-fenced for the development of Offaly underage footballers and hurlers. It will be used in particular to fund the appointment of more full time coaches.

Photo: Sportsfile

Offaly has enjoyed underage success in recent years, winning the All-Ireland U20 football championship and reaching an All-Ireland minor final and two U20 All-Ireland finals in-a-row. 

Shane Lowry has a number of business interests and invested in the Old Warehouse, a bar and restaurant in Tullamore, with his long-time friend and business partner Alan Clancy in recent years. He said it was the fact that the iconic building was located in his home county, and just miles from where he grew up, that prompted him to invest in the pub business.