A ‘Fairytale’ ending for Shane MacGowan
December 26, 2023
Continuing our series of small Salut! Live Christmas treats, today’s contribution manages to combine another tribute to Shane MacGowan with another version of ‘Fairytale of New York’ — played by some of the many Irish musicians at his packed funeral service.
Those of us who saw Shane MacGowan and the Pogues play in their punk-folk pomp in the 1980s could hardly have imagined that when he died his funeral would more or less be a state occasion in Ireland.
Image: David McMahon
But people lined the streets to pay their respects and the funeral, in Nenagh, County Tipperary, was attended by the Irish President, Michael Higgins, Hollywood royalty in the shape of Johnny Depp, and a host of musicians, including Nick Cave and fellow members of the Pogues, who played MacGowan’s songs. (Cave’s version of Rainy Night in Soho from the funeral is here.) The funeral was filmed by Ireland’s public broadcaster, RTE.
But the highlight of this was almost certainly a version of Fairytale of New York, with Glen Hansard and Lisa O’Neill doing a fine rendition of the two lead parts. See what you think.
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