The funeral of The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan took place on December 8, 2023 at Mary’s of the Rosary Church in Nenagh, County Tipperary, Ireland. Nick Cave provided one of the special musical highlights of the celebration.
Cave, who had released an iconic cover of “What A Wonderful World” with MacGowan in 1992, performed a version of The Pogues’ song “A Rainy Night In Soho.” He was supported by an ensemble consisting of violins, accordion and other instruments typical of folk.
You can see the video of the memorable performance here:
Cave on MacGowan: “Purity, innocence, generosity and spiritual intelligence”
The Australian previously paid tribute to his colleague on Cave’s website “Red Hand Files”. “Shane was not only revered for his diverse talents, but also loved for himself. A beautiful and damaged man who embodied a kind of purity and innocence, generosity and spiritual intelligence like no other,” he wrote.
In addition to Cave, there were plenty of other celebrity guests at MacGowan’s funeral. Present were Irish President Michael D Higgins, Johnny Depp, U2 frontman Bono, Bob Geldof, Imelda May and Glen Hansard. Before the funeral service began, according to the Irish Times, several thousand people gathered in the morning for a funeral procession and marched through the streets of the Irish capital Dublin. MacGowan’s remains were then taken to Tipperary, where he was laid to rest. MacGowan died on November 30, 2023 at the age of 65.