Shane MacGowan funeral: Procession ahead of service for Pogues singer

Crowds of people have lined the streets of Dublin to pay tribute to The Pogues singer Shane MacGowan ahead of his funeral in County Tipperary.

Musicians played some of his best known songs and fans sang along as the horse-drawn carriage bearing his coffin made its way through the city.

The 65-year-old singer-songwriter had been unwell for some time before his death last week.

The procession ended shortly before midday.

The cortege will now travel on to County Tipperary, for a funeral ceremony near where MacGowan spent part of his childhood.

Irish President Michael D Higgins is expected to join stars of the music industry at the Mass in Nenagh.

The Dublin-leg of his final journey began in the south inner city, where MacGowan lived in Ballsbridge.

Fans thronged the streets of the Irish capital to say their farewells.

As the horse-drawn carriage pulling the tricolour-draped coffin passed those on McMahon Bridge, people broke out into applause and – in traditional Irish funeral fashion – began to walk behind the cortege.

All along Pearse Street people watch on, the mood celebratory rather than sad.

As the funeral procession approached Westland Row, the Artane Band leading the way came to a stop – and struck up Fairytale of New York.

You could hear a pin drop. Only the band, and handclaps, before the chorus hits and the crowd, softly, joins in: “And the boys of the NYPD Choir still singing Galway Bay, and the bells were ringing out for Christmas Day.”

The city came out to pay tribute to its adopted son.

It was probably fitting that Dublin is blanketed in a thick layer of cloud.

Rain and weather was a theme of MacGowan’s lyrics – you can’t have that night in Soho without the rain, the morning light at Albert Bridge without the mist.

But The Pogues had international fame and many fans travelled from far afield to say their goodbyes.

Bruno and Pascal Kenard came all the way from Nantes, in France, to attend the procession.

“I said to my love: ‘Oh we’re going to Dublin’. Shane was a poet. I think I know all his songs.”

Pascal said their love of The Pogues was connected to their love of Irish culture.

“There are lots of emotions today,” added Bruno. “The band playing, the singing – have to say it broke my heart.”

After they spoke to BBC News NI, the couple were set to a hire car and drive to Nenagh for the funeral procession later.

At Tower Records in Dublin city centre, Pogues albums and merchandise are nearly sold out.

In the week since Shane MacGowan died, the shop has been cleaned out of most of the band’s records – only some vinyl, DVDs and a solitary CD remain.

“It was the same when Sinéad (O’Connor) died, there was a tremendous interest in everything,” said Gerard O’Boyle, who works in the store.

“Some people are quite frantic to get it. We’ve had people on the phone wanting Haunted (MacGowan’s duet with O’Connor) but it’s hard to get.”

He also said he had a more personal connection to The Pogues than just shifting units – his band The Gorehounds supported the band in Dublin during their 80s heyday.

“They were brilliant, it was a great night. The records are good but live – that was where the buzz was.”

He said he shared a few beers with the band, although – in true Pogues fashion – most of them were drunk before they hit the stage.

The funeral began with a procession around Dublin’s south inner city involving a horse-drawn carriage, led by the Artane Band and a piper.

Just before noon, a hearse and family cars left for Nenagh, where the funeral mass will take place in St Mary of the Rosary Church at 15:30 local time.

The church is close to where the singer spent summers as a boy, at his mother’s family cottage.

The chief celebrant will be Fr Pat Gilbert, the co-parish priest.

After the funeral, another procession will take place through the County Tipperary town where the public will be given a final chance to pay their respects.

MacGowan will then be cremated in a private ceremony.

The funeral Mass is open to the public and expected to be attended by a large number of people, including leading figures from the music industry and fans.

The singer had many close friends in the entertainment industry including Bono, Nick Cave and Johnny Depp.

MacGowan’s wife Victoria Mary Clarke said on Instagram that he “meant the world to me”.

She wrote: “I don’t know how to say this so I am just going to say it. Shane… has gone to be with Jesus and Mary and his beautiful mother Therese.”

Born in Kent, MacGowan was the son of Irish immigrants and fronted The Pogues from 1982 until their break-up in 2014.

In 1987, Kirsty MacColl collaborated with The Pogues for the Christmas song Fairytale of New York, written by MacGowan, which got to number two in the UK chart and remains one of the best-loved Christmas songs.

The 65-year-old singer-songwriter had been unwell for some time before his death.

He revealed he was diagnosed with encephalitis last year in a video posted to social media on New Year’s Eve.

It is an uncommon but serious condition in which the brain becomes inflamed, according to the NHS website.

He had also used a wheelchair since 2015 after injuring himself in a fall, and had well-documented problems with drugs and alcohol.

A statement from MacGowan’s spokesperson confirmed he died “peacefully” at 03:30 on 30 November “with his wife and sister by his side”.