Eight days after the death of Shane MacGowan, the legendary Irish musician was farewelled on December 8, 2023 at Mary’s of the Rosary Church in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, Ireland. The guest list for the funeral was star-studded: alongside Irish President Michael D Higgins was Johnny Depp (who gave a speech), Nick Cave, Bob Geldof, U2 frontman Bono, Imelda May and Glen Hansard as well as several other celebrities in attendance.
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.
Great farewell to MacGowan with “Fairytale of New York”
Cave performed The Pogues classic “A Rainy Night in Soho”, Glen Hansard took on “Fairytale Of New York” together with Lisa O’Neill – supported by an Irish musical ensemble of bouzouki, banjo, flute and accordion. As seen in a video recorded by RTÈ News, the mood was exuberant, towards the end of the song some churchgoers got up from the pews and started dancing in the church. Other songs written by MacGowan were also said to have been heard.
You can see and hear the emotional version of the Christmas classic here:
You can watch Nick Cave’s performance here:
MacGowan’s sister Siobhán gave a speech in which she discussed their shared childhood and MacGowan’s love of poetry and Ireland. MacGowan’s widow, Victoria Mary Clarke, also gave a speech. “His physical body has lasted a very long time considering what he did to him,” she was quoted as saying by the Irish Times. And further: “Music could take us to places so heavenly that it was like God. I think music was like God to Shane in a way.”
She also had a little anecdote about MacGowan and his friend Johnny Depp: “I hope you don’t take offense to me saying this, Johnny, but when Johnny had a court case involving his ex-wife Amber [Heard] Shane had a long conversation with you, didn’t he, and he urged you to forgive Amber. He just thought it would be best. And I’m sure you’ve done that by now, right? Of course you did,” Clarke said. The funeral is said to have lasted around three hours.