Shane MacGowan has been remembered as a musical ‘trailblazer’ with a revolutionary edge to life.
Thousands of mourners gathered at St Mary’s of the Rosary Church Nenagh, Co. Tipperary to remember the songwriter who was hailed as a ‘genius’.
The Australian singer Nick Cave performed the classic Pogues love song ‘Rainy Night in Soho’ while Mundy and Camille O’Sullivan sang ‘Haunted’ before a recording of Bono, who could not attend, with a reading was played in the church.
Earlier on Friday morning hundreds more people had lined the streets of south-inner-city Dublin before the funeral cortege made its way to St. Mary of the Rosary Church in north Tipperary, where many hundreds more waited to pay their respects to the music legend.
Former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams recited the first reading and told how MacGowan’s wife, Victoria, had asked him to say a few words in tribute.
“My words are words of gratitude, gratitude for Shane’s genius, for his songs, his creativity and his attitude,” he said, adding how he was grateful for McGowan’s “celebration of the marginalised, the poor, the exiled and the underdogs”.
Adams said MacGowan “lifted us out of ourselves” and “never gave up”. “Your music will live forever, you are the measurer of our dreams.”
Imelda May also lead a rendition of ‘You’re The One’. A record by The Pogues and one of the singer’s favourites Led Zeppelin were brought to the altar as symbols of his life.
A Tipperary flag, a Shannon Rovers jersey and a hurley were also brought to the altar, along with a tray that “Spider bashed over his head during a Pogues gig”.
An autographed record of Johnny Depp, a friend of MacGowan’s, was also brought to the altar. The Hollywood star also performed a reading.
“He had a small statue of Our Lady on his hospital tray and if anyone tried to obscure it, he would say ‘You’re blocking the Madonna, You’re blocking the Madonna’.”
His wedding photo, a bodhrán and a small Casio keyboard on which he wrote Summer in Siam on were also brought as symbols of his life.
Camille O’Sullivan and Mundy gave a rendition followed by a reading from Game of Thrones actor, Dubliner Aidan Gillen.
The homily, delivered by chief celebrant Father Pat Gilbert told mourners how McGowan’s music was “an outlet” and “had a depth and a sincerity that wasn’t often picked up by people”.
“Shane participated in Nick Cave’s rendition of the Dylan classic ‘Death is not the end’,
Quoting from the song he said: “For the tree of life is growing, how the spirit never dies and the bright light of salvation shines in dark and empty skies.
“Not the end, not the end, just remember that death is not the end. Not the end, not the end just remember that death is not the end.”
Fr Gilbert told how he grew up listening to “the music of Lizzy, the Horslips, the Rats, the Undertones and the Pogues”.
“There was also the pride of being Irish, what they could say, sing and share was right and reasoned as far as we were concerned.
In fact, Shane and the Pogues made it international and cool to play the tin whistle, banjo or accordion.
“As teenagers, not being able to verbalize our uneasiness, displeasure, our uncomfortable assessment of what was happening all around us, we found an outlet, a channel, a conduit in the music and lyric of the day.
He described MacGowan as “our modern-day bard, the social commentator, the songsmith, the son, the brother, husband and friend”.
“I know that he adored you Victoria and you him, and you were so loving, supportive and kind throughout your lives together,” he said.
“You carried and cared and caressed him right to the very end. And I am also aware of the strong bonds of love and affection that knit you together as a family Maurice, Siobhan and Anthony.
“I know that you all will miss Shane terribly. A voice, a presence around you and with you, is suddenly silent – and coping with that loss is always difficult.
“But in that grief, you are supported by the friendship and concerns of other people, and you are supported too by what our Christian faith tells us about death and what it means.
“For Shane had great faith in Our Blessed Lady and received Holy Communion from this church regularly. A man who often knelt before a fellow human being on the side of the road and offered kindness, assistance and care.
“Born on the birthday of Jesus and passing on the same days as Oscar Wilde and Patrick Kavanagh, and his funeral celebration Mass today on this great Feast of Mary and Sinead’s birthday, all seems right,” he said.
“In one of Shane’s best loved songs, The sick bed of Cúchulainn, he interrupts his own funeral, snarling: ‘and they’ll take you to Cloughprior and shove you in the ground and you will stick your head back out and shout ‘We’ll have another round’.
“But mortality was always at the heart of his music.
“A poet, lyricist, singer, trailblazer, Shane reflected life as lived in our time, calling out accepted norms that oftentimes appear unacceptable. But, in order to speak, to be heard, and to have that revolutionary edge to life, the first step is to listen. And Shane listened.
“Our poet, lyricist, singer and trailblazer, gave successive generations the benefit of his listening to the disquiet of life.
“Shane spoke and sang from the listened depths of his own journey and in doing so – as poets, lyricists and trailblazers do so well – he spoke to life’s realities for the many who are numbered as his fans. Life giving words.
“As for Martha, she responds to Jesus with those life-giving words: ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah’.”
He again quoted Cave’s rendition of Dylan, adding: “Your life gave growth to so many of us Shane, and your bright light gave salvation to our often dark and empty skies.”
“‘Not the end, not the end, just remember that death is not the end.’
“Rest in peace Shane.”
