Ian McClure is from Coleraine and began playing bowls in 1988 after being introduced to the sport by his father and the ex-international Willie Murray.

[2] McClure was part of the fours team that secured the gold medal for Northern Ireland at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the other members were Gary McCloy, Martin McHugh and Neil Booth.

McClure was selected as part of the Northern Ireland team for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

[7] In 2023, he won the triples title, with Derek Smith & Gary McCloy at the British Isles Bowls Championships, held in Ayr.

He then won a second bronze medal in the fours event (partnering McHugh, Bennett and Adam McKeown) after winning their group but losing to Australia in the semi final.