Niall Horan is a good lad whose pop star fame hasn’t changed him at all, so says his proud father Bobby.

The elder Horan gave an interview to his hometown newspaper, the Westmeath Examiner, and proudly spoke about his son’s ascent to global stardom thanks to boyband One Direction and his subsequent solo career. 

“It’s been 10 years and it was a great five years with One Direction – and it’s been a great five years since Niall went solo. He has outshone himself really as a solo artist,” Bobby said.

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“And the thing I am most proud of about him is the way he has held his head. I am more proud of that than anything he has done. At the end of the day you’d like your children to grow up with respect for other people, and he has done that and I have to commend him for that," he told the Westmeath Examiner. 

Bobby, parent to Niall’s elder brother Greg as well, revealed that his famous son was also obsessed with golf from an early age, and would regularly play at the local Mullingar club.

“When his friends started playing golf in the junior club in Mullingar and he wanted to play, thanks to Frank McKeown and a few others, we got him in and he loved the game. He loved being with his friends and it was a great place to be in the summer. He spent ages out there and was well looked after and he grew to love that equally to his music – well, I won’t say equally but near enough,” Bobby revealed.

It’s not easy for Niall, 26, to get back to Mullingar on a regular basis. His base is in London, and the last time he was home was Christmas.  But when he does get back on Irish soil, “he keeps his life private and doesn’t want to be in the limelight at all,” says his pop.

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