Shane MacGowan RIP (1957-2023)

[McCann]

One of Ireland's favourite sons.
(Although he was born in Kent)

He was allowed home from hospital in Dublin recently. And many musicians had been in to him to say farewell.

Would have made 66 on Christmas day. But he's been pushing the boat out for years.

Fairytale of New York will be everywhere this Christmas. That is no bad thing in my view anyway.

[nickthegeek]

Sad to hear but not a surprise.

A great band in their day and a brilliant songwriter.

Fairytale of New York is arguably the best Xmas song ever.

Can well imagine Shane in the afterlife quaffing booze with Mark E. Smith.

NTG

[metro1962]

Sad news,saw a recent photo of him in bed on the BBC website the other day.😒

RIP Shane.

[ontheslate]

Thought he was in a bad way when the hospital bed photos were released, although famous for the massive fairy tale of New York, wrote and performed many great songs.
RIP

[jjmolloy]

To understand The Pogues and Shane MacGowan it's important to put them in context.

It's hard to explain what it was like being among the thousands of young Irish living in London in the 1980s. Whether newly arrived like myself, or of an earlier generation.
Basically you kept your head down, didn't advertise the fact you were Irish in any way. You could only relax among 'your own' in areas such Cricklewood and Kilburn. Of course this was a time of many IRA bombings in the capital and elsewhere in the UK, anyone Irish (even from the south) was viewed as suspect and fair game by certain people. My parents generation arrived in the UK to signs in windows reading No Blacks No Dogs No Irish. We were looked down on in the UK, even upto the late 1990s.

On buses and tubes you kept your mouth shut, if travelling with another from Ireland you spoke in a low tone, or just whispered, lest you be accosted (or worse) by those intent on taking their anger out on anyone Irish. Seeing police on foot or a panda car drawing up in traffic beside you always you brought anxiety. Police questioning you as you arrived at a UK airport or sea port was the norm and took place until the late 1990s. You could end up being held in Paddington Green before you knew it. The possibility of that was remote, but the anxiety of the worry was all too real. Even after I returned to Ireland approaching a 'security check' after getting off a flight in Heathrow or Gatwick filled me with dread if I was 'the chosen one' for queries about my intended movements in the UK.

Due to this experience I never warmed to shows like The Sweeney and The Professionals, but took to Minder instead, where the police and the authorities were viewed with disdain and suspicion, as we also did at the time.

We as a generation still took the path of those who had came before us, we worked in the pubs and on the sites. Gathered in The Crown on Cricklewood Broadway and Biddy Mulligans on Kilburn High Road at weekends. Those who came after us would arrive armed with degrees, taking up professional posts in the banks and corporations, but our generation still knew plenty like Arthur, Terry, Des and Arnie. Eventually in the early 2000s we stopped having to leave home and amazingly people came to Ireland rather than leaving it. Any Irish still working on the London sites by this time simply flew home to Ireland every weekend.

Into this space came The Pogues then.

Of course before The Pogues there had been Thin Lizzy and the Boomtown Rats, but these bands could have been from anywhere musically, and were anxious to be seen as more than 'just Irish'

It took the sons of Irish emigrants to change all that, raised on Irish literature, and the sound of groups like The Dubliners and The Clancys, they created an irresistible romantic sound, misty eyed at times but with an edge of punk sensibility. We packed out their gigs, danced to their raucous songs and cried to others, along with young Scottish, Welsh and even some English. Yes we could drink and fight but we could be gentle and sentimental too. Suddenly being young and Irish in London would slowly begin a rise to being cool and accepted by UK society. We were cool..

Personally that xmas song is one I hate with a passion, as I do all xmas music. For me it's songs like the sublime A Rainy Night In Soho and A Pair Of Brown Eyes that bring alive how it felt be be a young emigrant Irish person in the UK at that time. RIP Shane, and thanks for the music and the feelings.

Shane MacGowan – a life in pictures | Music | The Guardian


Link good at time of posting.

[joshmel]

Just a sheer class act without even trying. One of the great song writers of the 20th century. We will never get to see the likes again one of the last bastions of music before it became manufactured and watered down. I love every Pogues album and his solo stuff was brilliant a unique man in every sense.

[joshmel]

One of my personal favorites as a Scotsman traveling down to London it resonated with me just like it probably would with an Irish man or Welsh. This folk genre of music will not happen again

[azza200]

Is sad he died but the last few pics we saw of him in hospital I did not think he would survive was surprised he was allowed to go home last week. But that was obviously a last wish and not wanting to pass away in hospital.

RIP

[daz]

It was an achievement in itself he actually made it to 65.

An original, who did it on his own terms. Not many of those in the music industry and sadly the likes will never be seen again.

RIP

[McCann]

Just seen Shane's funeral go through Dublin, before his funeral mass happens in Tipperary later.
Of course once his coffin went through, it was followed by a good auld sing song on the street for 20 minutes.

[azza200]

A great send off and tribute def a celebration of his life, great version of Fairy Tale Of New York and the Nick Cave performance very raw and emotional

[jjmolloy]

Dec 9, 2023 22:27:27 GMT azza200 said:

A great send off and tribute def a celebration of his life, great version of Fairy Tale Of New York and the Nick Cave performance very raw and emotional

Irish funerals are often celebrations of a person's life, and this was the case here, they did Shane proud. 

[chopper]

Nov 30, 2023 15:37:41 GMT jjmolloy said:

To understand The Pogues and Shane MacGowan it's important to put them in context.

It's hard to explain what it was like being among the thousands of young Irish living in London in the 1980s. Whether newly arrived like myself, or of an earlier generation.
Basically you kept your head down, didn't advertise the fact you were Irish in any way. You could only relax among 'your own' in areas such Cricklewood and Kilburn. Of course this was a time of many IRA bombings in the capital and elsewhere in the UK, anyone Irish (even from the south) was viewed as suspect and fair game by certain people. My parents generation arrived in the UK to signs in windows reading No Blacks No Dogs No Irish. We were looked down on in the UK, even upto the late 1990s.

On buses and tubes you kept your mouth shut, if travelling with another from Ireland you spoke in a low tone, or just whispered, lest you be accosted (or worse) by those intent on taking their anger out on anyone Irish. Seeing police on foot or a panda car drawing up in traffic beside you always you brought anxiety. Police questioning you as you arrived at a UK airport or sea port was the norm and took place until the late 1990s. You could end up being held in Paddington Green before you knew it. The possibility of that was remote, but the anxiety of the worry was all too real. Even after I returned to Ireland approaching a 'security check' after getting off a flight in Heathrow or Gatwick filled me with dread if I was 'the chosen one' for queries about my intended movements in the UK.

Due to this experience I never warmed to shows like The Sweeney and The Professionals, but took to Minder instead, where the police and the authorities were viewed with disdain and suspicion, as we also did at the time.

We as a generation still took the path of those who had came before us, we worked in the pubs and on the sites. Gathered in The Crown on Cricklewood Broadway and Biddy Mulligans on Kilburn High Road at weekends. Those who came after us would arrive armed with degrees, taking up professional posts in the banks and corporations, but our generation still knew plenty like Arthur, Terry, Des and Arnie. Eventually in the early 2000s we stopped having to leave home and amazingly people came to Ireland rather than leaving it. Any Irish still working on the London sites by this time simply flew home to Ireland every weekend.

Into this space came The Pogues then.

Of course before The Pogues there had been Thin Lizzy and the Boomtown Rats, but these bands could have been from anywhere musically, and were anxious to be seen as more than 'just Irish'

It took the sons of Irish emigrants to change all that, raised on Irish literature, and the sound of groups like The Dubliners and The Clancys, they created an irresistible romantic sound, misty eyed at times but with an edge of punk sensibility. We packed out their gigs, danced to their raucous songs and cried to others, along with young Scottish, Welsh and even some English. Yes we could drink and fight but we could be gentle and sentimental too. Suddenly being young and Irish in London would slowly begin a rise to being cool and accepted by UK society. We were cool..

Personally that xmas song is one I hate with a passion, as I do all xmas music. For me it's songs like the sublime A Rainy Night In Soho and A Pair Of Brown Eyes that bring alive how it felt be be a young emigrant Irish person in the UK at that time. RIP Shane, and thanks for the music and the feelings.

Shane MacGowan – a life in pictures | Music | The Guardian


Link good at time of posting.

Great post JJ. I used to work with a guy who grew up in Shepards Bush in the 70’s and into the 80’s. He said similar things to you.