On one occasion, she found that he had eaten all the turf mould.

She said: "I minded Shane when he was young. He was always on the go, it was a terrible job watching him sometimes.

"I'd a turf box in the corner I used to put him into it when I was going to the clothesline and when I'd come back down he'd be all turf mould, on his mouth.

“He’d have all the turf mould ate.”

"It must have done some good for him, kept him on the move. He was always a grand auld gossun, a cheerful lad, a grand lad."

The self-confessed “very proud granny” said her famous grandson had always been “on the go”.

“He has seen so much in life. He had a great upbringing. He was always full of life.”

She also revealed that she had not had a drink of brandy since 2009, “but I had two yesterday.”

Asked where she was when her grandson was taking his last shot in Portrush, she said: "I was down below in a local pub, Dolan's, with a brandy in one hand and me nerves going like the hammers of hell, that's the truth.

Mrs Scanlon also recalled the time when the teenage Shane won a competition in Mullingar, saying it was the first time she spotted that he was good

She said: "When he won the Mullingar Scratch Cup, you could see the good in him then.

She then revealed that on his return from that win, she asked him to bring in some turf. His response was that Tiger Woods would not have to bring in turf.

“He thought he was Tiger Woods after winning the Mullingar Scratch Cup.”

"He was always himself, always very good-natured, I remember he won a few pound in the Irish Open, we had nothing.

She recounted how the neighbours and local community would support his golfing ambition.

"I remember a man from Edenderry, I never forgot him - Mr Foley gave him a car, he had no car. We went to the Irish Open, Baltray, that was 10 years ago.

"There was one man in Clara, gave him his first job, Jimmy Rabbitte, lord rest him. He used to let him off at 12 o'clock if the weather was fine and say get on your bike now Shane and off to Esker Hills. He was only 15 or 16 at that time.

"He's so good-natured. He had that love for everyone, the whole of Ireland is Shane's friend today as far as they're all concerned. I'm so proud of him because you know out there nowadays, there's doom and gloom.

Asked if she'd go to America to see him play, Mrs Scanlon said she would be reluctant to board a plane to the States.

She said: "I was down at the Irish Open. If an airplane pulled up to the gate I wouldn't fly to Kilbeggan and it's only five miles away. No thanks. I never was on an airplane."

However, she probably did travel to see her side of the family play in Croker, as well as the Lowry side.

She said: "David Henry in Dublin brought down the Sam Maguire and Brendan Lowry, my son-in-law brought it twice. I could go back 100 years, there's was always GAA coming and going, all the lads played it."

Now she sees Shane's success lifting the whole town.

She said: "Now they're all playing golf, all the youngsters are playing golf, Shane has been a great asset to life down round here in a rural part of the country.

"Everyone is so so so happy, the house is full here this morning, up in his mother's it was full. It's great, it's absolutely great for everyone.

“This is great for our little town. It's really, really great for the family. There was a great cheer, it was a great lift, it gave a great boost to a little town like ours."

She then revealed that Shane remains down-to-earth, even with all his success, and how he never forgot her by giving her €500 from his first big win, which was at the French Open.

She said: "That was a blessing at that time, he's so kind a gossun, so very good kind. There are good chaps out there in the world today, but he's that type of a chap.

"He has never changed. Money never has changed him."

"He's a very jolly lad, then so am I, you have to be jolly when you were rearing 13. I was Clara's Mrs Brown that time.

"Ten boys and three girls, all reared up hard, worked hard, myself and my husband, he's dead now 10 years, I got a job then when he died caretaking the cemetery above, so I'm still working at 82.

"I work for the county council. I keep the books for the new cemetery."