Hilltown was a very different place when the Lowry family first took over a pub in the village.
Many things have changed in the past 150 years, but there has always been a Lowry behind the bar the discuss it.
More than a century on and the family’s pub run is finally coming to an end in the village, with David Lowry’s decision to put the Clonduff Bar on the market.
He’s the last in the line of family members to run the Main Street bar, which his grandparents David and Annie Lowry acquired in 1953 from the Malone family.
Before that, David’s grandfather and namesake grew up in another family pub further up Main Street.
Publican David Lowry outside Lowry’s Bar in Hilltown, County Down. The family-run pub, which has been in operation for more than 70 years, is set to be sold. PICTURE: BRIAN LINCOLN
“The Lowry family have been running a pub in this town for 150-odd years,” said David.
But with no more family members coming behind David and his brother Manus, the Lowry’s are now looking for an energetic young family to carry on the tradition.
It hasn’t been an easy decision for David, who literally grew up above the pub with his three siblings.
“Looking back it seemed quite normal,” he recalled. “As children we didn’t know any different.
“Now that we’ve all moved out of the bar and into our own homes, it seems a bit bizarre that we lived in this environment, because you had very little privacy.
A photograph from the early 1970s showing the Lowry siblings David, Manus, Aideen and Sheila. PICTURE: BRIAN LINCOLN
“But growing up we were very happy here. We always had lovely customers.
“The families who drank in it, their sons and daughters continue to come to the bar now.”
While his brother Manus followed in their mother’s Sheila’s footsteps, running the pub for 27 years, David followed his father Leo into pharmacy.
With the chemist located next door, Leo was never too far away.
Four years ago David took the decision to get back behind the bar, when his brother opted to step back on health grounds.
David Lowry looks out the window of Lowry’s Bar in Hilltown, which is set to be sold after more than 70 years in the family. PICTURE: BRIAN LINCOLN
But he said the time has finally come to move on.
“At this stage I feel I’ve taken it on as far as I can. There’s nobody coming behind myself and Manus.
“It’s time for a new chapter, it’s time for someone else to take it on.”
“I continue to work a couple of days a week in pharmacy and it’s just too much for me at this stage to be honest.”
The walls of the bar, filled with pictures, jerseys and memorabilia are as much a family history as a history of the Clonduff parish.
David Lowry points to his father Leo in a 1967 team photograph of Clonduff Shamrocks. PICTURE: BRIAN LINCOLN
“My dad was great for cutting out newspaper articles and framing them,” said David. “There’s so much history on the walls.”
Full of emotion as he discusses the end of an era, David adds: “It’s bittersweet for my siblings as well. It has triggered a lot of memories for them.
“But they realise it’s time for someone else to take it on board.
“I’d love to see a young and enthusiastic couple taking it on, taking it to the next level and keeping it vibrant.
“It’s the best location in the village. As soon as you drive into the village from the Newry Road you see the iconic Lowry’s sign on the gable wall.
Beau, the much loved pub dog and a familiar face at Lowry’s Bar in Hilltown. PICTURE: BRIAN LINCOLN
“It’s the first port of call for many people. It’s a meeting spot and it always has been.”
David said the premises have been very well maintained.
“It’s walk-in ready. It’s a great opportunity for someone to develop it and explore new options.”
The opportunities include planning permission for a coffee dock and a covered beer garden area.
The village also has plenty going for it.
Lowry’s Bar in Hilltown, Co Down. PICTURE: BRIAN LINCOLN
“Hilltown itself is a busy thoroughfare and it’s a main entry point for the Mournes.
“We get so many walkers visiting and staying over. There are Airbnbs springing up all over.”
But, he adds: “Everything moves on.
“Lowry’s have had bar in this village for a long, long time. This is the end of the line.”
David Lowry and his brother Manus look over memorabilia collected through the years at Lowry’s Bar in Hilltown, County Down. The family-run pub, which has been in operation for more than 70 years, is set to be sold. PICTURE: BRIAN LINCOLN