It was one Irishman called Shane who co-wrote Fairytale of New York, and another who scripted its golfing equivalent

Shane Lowry would be few people’s idea of a modern-day athlete, with his well-upholstered physique and occasional penchant for a Guinness or 10. But he was everybody’s version of a Ryder Cup hero, facing a putt of 6ft 3in at the last to retain the trophy for Europe and draining it with such nervelessness that his team-mates had to restrain themselves from invading the green. The stage was left to the Irishman, who beat his chest and pumped his arms like pistons, celebrating a moment that felt as if it would never come.