Shane MacGowan’s dying wish couldn’t have been more fitting: he wanted his mourners to celebrate him on a night of drunkenness. This wish was fulfilled. In a pub, MacGowan’s close friends paid their last respects until dawn.
10,000 euros for free beer
Shane MacGowan died last week at the age of 65 after a long illness from pneumonia. His funeral took place on December 8th at St Marys of the Rosary Church, Nenagh. The funeral party then gathered in a pub for MacGowan’s wake.
10,000 euros are said to have flowed over the bar for free beer after the Irish musician’s funeral. It is not known who paid for the free beer. However, many of the mourners said the money came from the late singer’s estate, the Independent reported. Only invited guests were allowed entry into the Thatched Cottage pub. These included MacGowan’s long-time friend Johnny Depp, Msuiker Bobby Gillespie, MacGowan’s Pogues bandmates and singer Glen Hansard. To get into the pub, guests were given concert-style tickets and wristbands that they had to show at the entrance. From 6 p.m. until dawn, the mourners drank the bar empty.
This is how MacGowan was celebrated after his funeral
As the Irish Independent reported, the mood in the pub was “inspiring and emotional – with everyone excited about the music, the shared stories and the fun.” There was “four hours of non-stop music.” Glen Hansard performed the Pogues classic “Fairytale of New York” in the bar, just as he had hours earlier at the funeral at St. Marys of the Rosary Church. The “most special moment of the night” came when The Pogues played one of their best-known songs, “The Body of An American.”
“The thing about Shane is that he has made friends of a large collection of people. All sorts of people who wouldn’t normally know or talk to each other got together last night. It was very emotional,” a source told the Irish Independent about MacGowan’s wake.
Johnny Depp admired MacGowan
MacGowan’s widow Victoria Mary Clarke was said to have been “hanging out with Johnny Depp” most nights. In a heartfelt Instagram post, MacGowan’s widow Victoria Mary Clarke thanked “loyal and devoted friends” who helped her cope with her husband’s death and dedicated a few lines to Johnny Depp: He “is one of the kindest angels, and I know , that Shane really appreciated how he was always so respectful and accepting of every aspect of his being, even at times when many people dismissed him as a hopeless addict who was past his prime. Seeing the admiration Johnny had for Shane was a great source of encouragement and strength during some really tough times, and I am eternally grateful to him for never seeing Shane as anything less than perfect, brilliant and beautiful. Thank you JD for being a tower of strength for me these last days and I bless you with all my heart.”
Clarke’s Instagram post:
Farewell for uninvited guests
About three miles further on – and without free drinks – another wake was held for MacGowan. In Philly’s Bar, which belonged to the singer’s favorite barman, uninvited guests also had the opportunity to say goodbye and celebrate MacGowan’s life. The bar was filled to the ceiling. Here, too, the guests celebrated until after 4 a.m