Nick Cave sat at the piano at St. Mary of the Rosary Church in Nenagh in County Tipperary, Ireland during the funeral of Shane MacGowan on Friday (December 8) to perform the Pogues‘ 1986 song “Rainy Night in Soho” in tribute to the late Pogues singer and songwriter. MacGowan’s funeral was being broadcast live on the band’s social media pages.
MacGowan died at the age of 65 on Thursday (November 30) after a lengthy illness and hospitalization.
Cave and MacGowan’s friendship spanned more than 30 years and even collaborated on “What A Wonderful World” from MacGowan’s album Rakes, Rats, Pricks & Kicks: An Anthology in 2011.
“Shane was not revered just for his manifold talents but also loved for himself alone,” wrote Cave in a special tribute to MacGowan, which he shared on his blog The Red Hand Files. “A beautiful and damaged man, who embodied a kind of purity and innocence and generosity and spiritual intelligence unlike any other.”
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Cave also paid tribute to Irish singer and songwriter Sinéad O’Connor, who also died on July 26 at the age of 56, in his tribute and how he remembered connecting with her at MacGowan’s 60th birthday celebration in Dublin several years earlier. “Sinéad looked up and caught my eye, smiled, and walked over and hugged me,” said Cave. “I’m not sure why, but I was terribly moved by her gesture. She was so warm and giving and kind in that moment. I was unaware quite how precious a moment it would turn out to be.”
In 1995, MacGowan and O’Connor first collaborated on the Pogues’ 1985 song “Haunted” for the soundtrack to the film Two If by Sea/Stolen Hearts.
To help lead the ceremony, MacGowan’s friend Johnny Depp read the first Prayer of the Faithful and called the Pogues singer a “maestro,” tipping his head to the singer.
“We pray for a deeper spirit of compassion in the world,” said Depp. “May we feel the pain of others, understand their need and reach out to all who suffer in any way with a continuous love that is rooted in faith and peace. Lord, hear us.”
Depp’s reading was followed by more words from former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams and Game of Thrones actor Aiden Gillen, Bob Geldof, and a recorded message from Bono, who recited part of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. MacGowan’s sister Siobhan also spoke, and his wife Victoria Mary Clarke shared memories the couple shared throughout their relationship which spanned more than 40 years.
“Everybody who knew Shane knew he hated funerals,” said Clarke. “He didn’t like the idea of death. He didn’t like talking about his own death. He didn’t believe he would die either. He always assured me that he would live to be 80.”
Earlier in the ceremony, Irish singers Glen Hansard and Lisa O’Neill performed The Pogues’ 1988 hit “The Fairytale of New York.”
Prior to MacGowan’s church ceremony, he was honored with a public procession through the streets of Dublin as a horse-drawn carriage carrying his coffin draped by the Irish flag. The Artane Boys Band marched as they played “Fairytale of New York” and those in the street sang along.
At the end of the funeral, the remaining members of The Pogues reunited to perform the band’s 1985 “The Parting Glass.
Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
