Shane MacGowan’s funeral is being streamed live on Twitter to include fans in the mourning and celebration of his life. Watch the emotional send-off here.
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MacGowan passed away on November 30 from pneumonia. His friends, former bandmates, and family were present to partake in the joy of his life and the sorrow of his death. Speakers include MacGowan’s wife, as well as Johnny Depp, with performances by Nick Cave, who played MacGowan’s hit “A Rainy Night in Soho,” and the surviving members of The Pogues, who played an emotional rendition of “The Parting Glass.”
The service is being held in Tipperary where MacGowan spent much of his childhood, 100 miles away from his recent home in Dublin. The funeral was full of musical tributes to MacGowan as his contemporaries performed his greatest hits throughout the service. MacGowan’s widow spoke during the offertory procession, where attendees presented gifts on the altar which represented MacGowan’s life. A few of the items included a vinyl copy of Led Zeppelin II, a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) shirt, and a copy of MacGowan’s book Crock of Gold, according to a report from the BBC.
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Fans lined the streets of Dublin to witness his funeral procession through the city and celebrate his life in a truly Irish fashion. Bands played some of MacGowan’s hits while people sang in the streets. Some even followed behind the horse-drawn carriage carrying MacGowan’s body in Irish funerary tradition, but the mood was decidedly joyful and bittersweet, as fans flocked to give him a proper send-off and pay tribute.
The band performing for the procession struck up “Fairytale of New York” and the crowd was silent in reverence. Until the chorus, when the streets erupted into, “And the boys of the NYPD Choir still singing Galway Bay, and the bells were ringing out for Christmas Day.”
People who have never heard of Shane MacGowan or the Pogues are discovering a new interest in the often chaotic band, scrambling to record stores to get their hands on their music. Meanwhile, long-time devoted fans are mourning, digging out their copies of Rum, Sodomy and the Lash or If I Should Fall From Grace With God, turning the volume up loud, and sending Shane MacGowan home to heaven.
