Ireland crowds bids farewell to singer-songwriter Shane MacGowan

Singer Shane MacGowan, the influential London-Irish punk who revolutionized Irish traditional music with The Pogues, was bid farewell by thousands of people lining the streets of Dublin. An enthusiastic crowd followed a marching band as they led MacGowan's funeral procession through central Dublin, singing popular tunes like Dirty Old Town, the folk classic MacGowan and The Pogues helped make popular.

The funeral is set to take place at 3:30 PM GMT in St Mary of the Rosary Church in Nenagh, west of Dublin. Following the funeral, another procession will proceed through County Tipperary.

MacGowan, known for his haunting ballads in the 1980s, sadly passed away on November 30 at the age of 65. He had been in and out of the hospital since July.

Fellow musicians paid tribute to MacGowan last week, acknowledging his significant contributions to music. However, MacGowan also gained notoriety for his slurred speech, missing teeth, and troubled behavior on stage, as his substance abuse took its toll throughout the 1990s. 

According to musician Roland Conroy, Shane MacGowan was incredibly significant to him. Conroy expressed that MacGowan, as an Irish punk rocker, embodied the essence of acclaimed literary figures such as James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, and William Butler Yeats. He saw MacGowan as a poet and his admiration for him was deeply emotional, even bringing tears to his eyes. Conroy regarded MacGowan's passing as a sorrowful and tragic day for Ireland, with the entire world mourning the loss.

Prime Minister Leo Varadkar also praised MacGowan, calling him an exceptional musician and artist whose songs beautifully depicted the Irish experience, particularly for those of Irish descent living abroad.

MacGowan was a co-founder of The Pogues in 1982, a band that skillfully blended punk and Irish folk music. Although he was born in England, he spent a significant portion of his childhood in Ireland with his mother's family.

MacGowan reached the pinnacle of his career in 1987 with the release of "Fairytale of New York," a duet with Kirsty MacColl that quickly became a beloved Christmas classic. The song narrates the story of a bickering couple who trade insults, showcasing MacGowan's talent for storytelling and songwriting. 

The song, which has maintained its position in the UK Top 40 singles chart every year since 2005 but has never reached number one, recently climbed to third place in the charts. This happened just a week before the Christmas number one for this year is determined.

The Pogues and their music have become a powerful symbol of Irish culture, both within the country and for the vast Irish diaspora across the globe. In recognition of his contributions, Shane MacGowan, the lead singer of The Pogues, has received numerous tributes from political leaders.

In 1988, The Pogues released a song called "Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six," which shed light on the unjust imprisonment of six Irishmen involved in fatal pub bombings in Birmingham. Unfortunately, the song was prohibited from being played on British radio stations.

Mary Lou McDonald, the president of Sinn Fein, a republican political party, described Shane MacGowan as a poet, dreamer, and advocate for social justice. She praised his ability to tell the Irish story through his music, particularly focusing on themes of dreams and emigration. 

MacGowan’s death has left Micheal Martin, Varadkar’s deputy, feeling "devastated". He expressed that the timing is especially poignant as we are currently listening to "Fairytale of New York," a song that deeply resonates with all of us.