Paddy Lowry was the outstanding Irish sprinter of the second half of the 1950s and competed in the men’s 100 metres and 200 metres at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games , achieving Olympic selection by running 9.8 seconds for the 100 yards, the required standard, on 2 July 1960 at the combined AAUE-NIAAA championships, and then 9.7 at the Civil Service Sports on 6 July.

He won three AAUE 100-yard titles (1956, 1958, 1959) and the 220-yard title in 1960 during a career that established him as one of the most consistent Irish sprinters of his era. He was eliminated in the opening heats of both the 100 metres and 200 metres in Rome.

Outside athletics, Lowry joined Warner-Lambert as an assistant accountant and had risen to director when he lft in 1969. He then became financial manager of Bayer Products, later to become Sterling-Winthrop Pharmaceuticals, where he eventually became managing director and chairman.