Shane MacGowan funeral: Pogues songs including Fairytale Of New York ring out as mourners say goodbye
A rousing rendition of Shane MacGowan’s best-loved hit Fairytale Of New York rang out during his funeral in Co Tipperary, Ireland – as stars including Johnny Depp, Bono and Nick Cave led the tributes to the singer.
Mourners were welcomed by Father Pat Gilbert as the “people this great man influenced, encouraged, entertained and touched” gathered in a ceremony that was broadcast online and on TV for fans around the world.
He paid tribute to “a poet, lyricist, singer, trailblazer” who “reflected life as lived in our time, calling out accepted norms that oftentimes appear unacceptable”.
At the front of Saint Mary of the Rosary church in Nenagh, MacGowan‘s casket was heaped with red roses alongside a black-and-white photo of the singer when he was younger.
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Actor Johnny Depp gave a short reading
His widow Victoria Mary Clarke stood up at the ceremony, held near his ancestral home in Nenagh, and presented symbols marking her husband’s life, including the Crock Of Gold book of his art and lyrics, a tray his former bandmate Spider Stacy would “bash over Shane’s head” during gigs, and the couple’s wedding album.
In her eulogy, she described him as someone who “really did live so close to the edge that he seemed like he was going to fall off many times”, but said he was never interested in being “normal”.
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Watch the classic Pogues Christmas song
Fairytale of New York played at Shane MacGowan’s funeral
Christmas classic Fairytale Of New York, performed by Glen Hansard and Lisa O’Neill, was one of a number of Pogues hits played during the service, providing a moment for mourners to clap and cheer as they celebrated the singer’s greatest work.
Other musical moments included The Pogues hit A Rainy Night In Soho, sung by Australian star Nick Cave; the traditional song I’m A Man You Don’t Meet Every Day, recorded by the band in 1985, performed by the band’s bassist Cait O’Riordan and musician John Francis Flynn; and Haunted, a duet recorded by MacGowan and the late Sinead O’Connor in 1995, performed by Irish singers Mundy and Camille O’Sullivan.
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Nick Cave at Shane MacGowan’s funeral
Victoria Mary Clarke gave a eulogy to her husband
Depp addressed the Saint Mary of the Rosary Church with a prayer, saying: “May we feel the pain of others, understand their need and reach out to all who suffer in any way with a continuous love that is rooted in faith and peace.”
Irish president Michael D Higgins, former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and Game Of Thrones star Aidan Gillen also paid their respects at the ceremony, while a recording of a reading by U2 frontman Bono, who was unable to attend, was played.
Gerry Adams arrives for the funeral
Aiden Gillen arrives for the funeral of Shane MacGowan
‘It is imprinted in my mind forever’
MacGowan’s coffin had travelled to the town from Dublin, where fans and mourners were able to pay their respects earlier in the day as the horse-drawn carriage cortege travelled through the streets of the city.
Fans sang songs including Fairytale Of New York and Dirty Old Town as the procession passed through.
Among those who turned out to pay their respects on the streets of Dublin was Aidan Grimes, 60, who described MacGowan as “an icon of Dublin”.
“I remember the first time I saw The Pogues in the Hammersmith Odeon in 1985,” he said. “It is imprinted in my mind forever, just the madness and mayhem, the raucous nature of his singing and the music they were playing.
“Through the years he evolved into a great poet and he will be sadly missed. I met him in Dublin about 15 years ago and he was a very charming, nice, friendly man. He talked about music and his time in London.”
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Kevin Sexton, from Co Fermanagh, said MacGowan opened doors for Irish people living in England.
“He made Irish people proud to be Irish at a time in London when it was a very difficult time to be Irish,” he said. “The Troubles were in full tilt. A lot of terrible things happened.
“Shane MacGowan opened doors. He introduced Irish culture and his own unique writing ability and voice and style that opened up a mix of Irish music plus rock plus punk, his whole unique persona transformed into song that enlightened the world.”
MacGowan died peacefully in November at the age of 65 after a spell in hospital.
His funeral took place on what would have been Sinead O’Connor‘s 57th birthday. The Irish singer, who was close friends with MacGowan, died earlier this year.
Taylor Swift has revealed the release date for her new album, The Life Of A Showgirl.
The pop megastar announced her 12th studio album earlier this week but didn’t give many details.
Now, in social media posts and an appearance on boyfriend Travis Kelce’s sports podcast, Swift revealed just what fans can expect from the new album.
Taylor Swift and boyfriend Travis Kelce on the New Heights podcast. Pic: New Heights
The Life of Showgirl, written during the European leg of her record-breaking Eras tour, will be released on 3 October.
It consists of 12 songs, including the title track that features pop star Sabrina Carpenter.
The full track list is:
1. The Fate Of Ophelia
2. Elizabeth Taylor
3. Opalite
4. Father Figure
5. Eldest Daughter
6. Ruin The Friendship
7. Actually Romantic
8. Wi$h Li$t
9. Wood
10. Cancelled!
11. Honey
12. The Life Of A Showgirl (featuring Sabrina Carpenter)
Long-time collaborators Max Martin and Shellback, two Swedish producers who worked with Swift on some of her biggest hits, joined the pop star for this album.
Within four hours of posting the full podcast episode on YouTube, it had already gathered 4.7m views.
The cover of Taylor Swift’s newly announced album. Pic: Republic Records
The back cover of Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album The Life Of A Showgirl. Pic: Republic Records
‘The hardest-working star in pop’
The album follows last year’s The Tortured Poets Department, which was released during the Eras tour.
That tour, with shows on five continents and in 51 cities, raked in more than $2.2bn (£1.62bn) and was the highest-grossing tour of all time.
Read more about Taylor Swift:
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“This album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during this tour, which was so exuberant and electric and vibrant,” Swift said during her podcast appearance.
Sky News culture and entertainment reporter Gemma Peplow said after her globe-trotting tour and a swathe of re-releases over recent years, the new album cemented Swift’s reputation “as the hardest-working star in pop”.
Disgraced US film producer Harvey Weinstein is to be tried for a third time in a sexual assault case.
A jury in New York could not reach a verdict in June against the 73-year-old who was accused of raping actress Jessica Mann, and a mistrial was declared.
Judge Curtis Farber has said he wants the new trial to happen before the end of this year.
The same jury found Weinstein guilty in June of sexually assaulting former Project Runway production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006 and not guilty of assaulting Polish former runway model Kaja Sokola the same year.
Weinstein will be sentenced for the guilty verdict in Ms Haley’s case on 30 September.
He denied all of the charges. Throughout the retrial, his lawyers insisted the sexual encounters with his three accusers were “transactional” and “consensual,” and labelled the women as opportunists.
Weinstein was originally convicted of rape and criminal sexual act by the same court in 2020 and sentenced to 23 years in prison for the crimes.
Last year, however, New York’s highest court overturned the conviction, prompting Weinstein’s retrial this summer.
Weinstein was once one of the most powerful people in Hollywood – the co-founder of film and television production companies Miramax and The Weinstein Company, who produced films such as the Oscar-winning Shakespeare In Love, Pulp Fiction, and The Crying Game.
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In 2017, a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him propelled the #MeToo movement.
Some of those accusations later led to criminal charges and his convictions in New York and California.
Before the retrial, Weinstein was also serving a 16-year prison sentence after being found guilty of rape in California in December 2022. He has also denied this charge.
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