‘He embodied who we are, warts and all’: Dublin mourners bid farewell to Shane MacGowan

Posted on December 8, 2023 by Admin

Tears and applause as band plays Fairytale of New York and people recall memories of pubs, squats, youth, dreams and loss

They followed the horse-drawn carriage singing songs that were written as raucous ballads. But on this day, the crowds of mourners sung softly, their voices floating into a grey Dublin day in farewell to Shane MacGowan.

The Pogues singer was dead but for mourners his lyrics seldom felt so alive as his funeral cortege wound through the heart of Ireland’s capital on Friday.

‘Greatest lyricist’: Irish president leads Ireland’s tributes to Shane MacGowan

Posted on November 30, 2023 by Admin

Michael D Higgins compares Pogues frontman’s songs with ‘perfectly crafted poems’

The Irish president, Michael D Higgins, has led Ireland’s tributes to Shane MacGowan, describing the Pogues frontman as one of “music’s greatest lyricists”.

After the singer’s death at the age of 65, Higgins compared MacGowan’s songs with “perfectly crafted poems” that captured “the measure of our dreams”.

Shane MacGowan: ‘Describe myself in three words? I’m bloody great’

Posted on December 18, 2021 by Admin

The Pogues frontman on vanity, a horrible heckle and why he became a vegetarian

Born in Kent, MacGowan, 63, won a scholarship to Westminster school, but was later expelled. In 1982, he became frontman of the Pogues; the band’s albums include Rum Sodomy and the Lash and If I Should Fall from Grace with God. MacGowan co-wrote the song Fairytale of New York, which he performed with Kirsty MacColl; released in 1987, it remains a festive classic. He has launched his own line of merchandise on his website. He lives in Dublin with his wife, the writer Victoria Mary Clarke.

Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Myself – why not?

The 50 best songs about Europe – ranked!

Posted on April 11, 2019 by Admin

Brexit is delayed – so voyager avec nous on a trans-European tour of music, from Paris to Berlin via Finistère. Tout le monde à bord!

Poor old Lloyd went to Amsterdam and all he got was double pneumonia in a single room. And, by the sounds of it, his love life is going horribly wrong. Just don’t ask him about the price of medicine (obviously he didn’t get his European health insurance card). It’s enough to make anyone go No Deal, really.