All About Niall Horan’s Parents, Maura Gallagher and Bobby Horan

The One Direction alum's solo work has been inspired by his mom and dad

Before Niall Horan rose to fame with One Direction or released solo hits like “Slow Hands,” he was raised by his parents, Maura Gallagher and Bobby Horan, in Mullingar, Ireland.

The Voice coach's parents split when he was 5 years old, and he and his brother, Greg Horan, moved in with their dad. Still, Maura remained involved in their lives — even inspiring the singer’s famous love of cardigans.

Over the years, Maura has opened up about having a hard time dealing with Niall’s fame in the beginning, and Bobby still won’t take a penny from his son. Nevertheless, they are his biggest fans and aren’t shy about expressing their awe and pride.

Related: Everything the Members of One Direction Have Said About Their Time in the Band

“It is strange being his mother and watching him on the television and grinning from one ear to the other,” she said during an October 2022 appearance on RTÉ Radio 1, per The Irish Mirror. “And when you think of him as a world star, it is mind blowing really.”

Meanwhile, Bobby told The Westmeath Examiner he’s most proud of Niall for “the way he has held his head” throughout his time in the spotlight.

“I am more proud of that than anything he has done," he explained in August 2020. "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.”

From their marriage to parenting philosophy and careers, here’s everything to know about Niall Horan’s parents, Maura Gallagher and Bobby Horan, and their relationship with the singer.

They’re from Mullingar, Ireland

Niall’s parents raised him and Greg in the town of Mullingar, which is about an hour west of Dublin. There, the singer performed in school plays and participated in a choir, per NBC.

During a June 2023 interview with Cosmopolitan UK, Niall described an ideal day in his hometown. “A nice morning walk down by the lake would be very nice,” he said. “A little coffee in town … maybe a bit of breakfast in one of the hotels. After lunch, we should do a bit of a pub crawl."

Niall and fellow singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi honored his roots in the 2022 documentary, Homecoming: The Road to Mullingar. In the film, the best friends go on a road trip across Ireland and perform at their final destination.

Niall has a song about their split

After 15 years together, Maura and Bobby split in 1999, per The Irish Mirror. Afterward, Niall and his brother went to live with their mother for a year before ultimately moving in with their father.

“They came home one night and that was it — they told me they’d decided to stay and weren’t going back,” Bobby told The Daily Record in July 2012.

He added, “I was very lonely for that year without them so of course I was really happy to have them back. I had a family around me again.”

Bobby also shared that despite the change in residence, Maura continued to be a present parent. “Niall always had two birthday parties — one here and one at his mum’s and, whenever she wanted to see them, she would come over,” he said.

During a June 2023 interview on The Zach Sang Show, Niall revealed that his parents' separation affected how he viewed love, and their relationship inspired his 2023 track, “Never Grow Up.”

The singer explained, “When you’ve seen it crumble so many times in front of you — not just even within my family — you’re just, like, ‘I’d prefer not to have that if I can stop it.’ I’d prefer to not see it crumble.”

Related: Who Is Niall Horan's Girlfriend? All About Amelia Woolley

They share two sons and a grandson

Bobby and Maura share two sons — Niall and Greg, who is six years older than The X Factor alum. They are also the loving grandparents of Greg’s son, Theo.

In July 2021, Maura posted an Instagram photo of herself posing with her kids and grandson. “Family xx,” she wrote in the caption.

Bobby worked at Tesco

Bobby enjoyed being a butcher at Tesco, a British grocery chain.

“I love working at Tesco,” he told The Daily Record in his July 2012 interview. “I’m up at five and I’m at work by six. I meet people all day long and I love it.”

At the time, the singer’s father wasn’t interested in quitting after his son shot to stardom. “Niall knows I love my work and wouldn’t want to stop so he’s not going to force money on to me,” he said.

Maura was anxious when Niall first got famous

When One Direction first skyrocketed to fame in 2010, Maura struggled to adjust to the new lifestyle, particularly interacting with the media and industry people.

“It actually took a lot out of me when it happened,” she shared with The Irish Mirror in October 2022. “I got so anxious and everything because all of a sudden you had to be doing interviews and meetings in England, because he was underage.”

She added that she was “very quiet” and didn’t have “huge confidence for public speaking” at the time.

Fortunately, the band members were well cared for and had a great security team, according to Maura. “You didn’t have to worry about the dangers of the outside world, just you’d feel sorry if he was sick and you couldn’t get near him to give him a hug and a hot drink,” she explained.

Bobby won’t accept extravagant gifts from Niall

Bobby does not want any material items from Niall. During his July 2012 conversation with The Daily Record, he shared, “I don’t know whether it’s true he has made two million already but, if it is, it’s all his. I want absolutely nothing from him.”

He added, “I’m happy with what I’ve got. There’s no way he’d offer me a car because I can’t drive. He might offer me a push bike, that would be nice, but I would never take a penny of his money.”

Bobby also turned down a home in the countryside, but Niall wasn’t offended.

“No, I love it,” he said about his father’s attitude toward his earnings during a May 2017 Billboard interview. “I always say there’s ignorance and there’s Irish ignorance. It’s on a different level. He’ll barely take a Christmas present off me ... He just wants me to come visit.”

Although Bobby won’t accept much from Niall, the “Heaven” vocalist did pay his mother’s mortgage.

They get excited when he’s on Irish TV

Over the years, Niall’s parents have gotten more comfortable with his level of fame.

“My dad is fine with it,” the singer told The Sun in March 2020. “Even now, I’d bring him to a lot of golf tournament[s] and he’d go up to a famous golfer and say ‘I was only watching you on the telly last week.’ ”

Maura and Bobby get especially excited when their son appears on Irish TV shows — more so than when he's invited to American TV programs. He noted that when his parents accompany him and chat with the host in the green room, they talk about the experience for weeks after.

“My mother loves going up to The Late Late Show in Dublin when I’m on it,” Niall said. “My father is like ‘Jesus, [Ryan] Tubridy is a lovely fella.' "

Still, they aren't as up-to-date with his work in the U.S. “I did Saturday Night Live before Christmas but they wouldn’t have a clue," he added.

Maura inspired Niall’s love of cardigans

During a February 2023 appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, host Kelly Clarkson asked Niall about his notoriously large cardigan collection.

“I didn’t realize how many I owned until my fans started pointing it out to me,” he said before revealing that his style was influenced by Maura, who dressed him “preppy” as a kid.

They’re very proud of Niall

Maura and Bobby couldn’t be prouder of their talented son. During an October 2017 chat with Radio.com, Niall shared that his mom has a whole room dedicated to all his career achievements.

He also explained she's his biggest fan and wanted the original version of his debut album, Flicker, the deluxe version, the vinyl and all the posters.

When Niall performed for President Joe Biden as part of the traditional shamrock ceremony for St. Patrick’s Day 2023, Maura felt anxious for him over "the honor."

She told RTÉ, “I didn’t sleep a wink. He told me it was happening and I was so nervous for him."

For his part, Bobby applauded his son’s impressive career in his August 2020 interview with The Westmeath Examiner. “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 said. “He has outshone himself really as a solo artist.”

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