Thousands in Clara as Shane Lowry receives a hero's welcome

Lowry left Dublin on Tuesday afternoon bound for his hometown after conducting interviews for the media at the end of a whirlwind 36 hours of celebrations in Dublin that followed his return from Portrush.

Thousands in Clara as Shane Lowry receives a hero's welcome

Thousands of people have descended on Clara in Co Offaly for Shane Lowry's homecoming.

The Open Champion is being honoured in his home town, but not before he took a detour to plant the famous Claret Jug on his grandmother’s kitchen table.

Emily Scanlon has become almost as famous as her grandson since his six-shot victory at Royal Portrush last Sunday and Lowry, 32, was due to head straight to her front door before the people of Clara rolled out the red carpet to welcome home their golfing hero.

Lowry left Dublin on Tuesday afternoon bound for his hometown after conducting interviews for the media at the end of a whirlwind 36 hours of celebrations in Dublin that followed his return from Portrush.

Asked whether his grandmother was actually more famous than him, Lowry replied: “Granny is, yeah. The Queen of Clara.

A sign congratulating Shane Lowry outside Clara GAA club. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
A sign congratulating Shane Lowry outside Clara GAA club. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

“She is a great woman and I’m really looking forward to seeing her. I’m looking forward to bringing the Jug into her house and throwing it down on the kitchen table. It’s great.

I don’t think we’ll be able to go anywhere this evening. I’ll just go into the house and just to be able to sit there and show her the trophy is going to be incredible.

Lowry admitted the magnitude of his maiden major championship victory at the weekend had not yet sunk in.

“No. Sitting with the trophy here it’s been surreal the last 48 hours. I think when it all settles down at the end of the week and I get to watch the golf back and look at what has happened I think it will start to sink in properly. But it’s just amazing, isn’t it? I can’t believe how lucky I am that it’s happened to me. That’s kind of the way I feel.

“I literally haven’t stopped going since I got off the 18th green on Sunday. Like I said, I think when it comes to the end of the week that’s when I’ll start to actually process what’s happened and start to look forward to what I’m going to play in for the rest of the year and set out some goals for next year.

“Right now I’m just trying to enjoy the moment. For this to happen to me, I just feel quite lucky. I’m looking forward to the next couple of days and then I’m looking forward to just being able to relax when it’s all over as well.”

Lowry has barely let the famous Claret Jug awarded to the Open Championship winner out of his sight since lifting the trophy on Sunday evening.

“I can’t stop looking at my name on it. There are names on there from the 1800s. It’s such an iconic piece of silverware and I can't believe that it’s in my house and it will be forever. That can never be taken away for me.”

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