Shane MacGowan funeral to take place on Friday

Shane MacGowan’s funeral is to take place in Co Tipperary on Friday, close to where he spent much of his childhood.

The funeral Mass, which is to be open to the public, will be held in Nenagh, near where The Pogues singer’s mother, Therese, was originally from.

President Michael D Higgins is likely to attend and a large number of musicians and artists are also set to travel to pay their last respects to the Fairytale of New York singer, who died last Thursday following a long illness. He is predeceased by Therese and is survived by his wife Victoria, sister Siobhán and father Maurice.

Tributes have poured in since his death was announced with the President saying in a statement that MacGowan would be remembered “as one of music’s greatest lyricists”.

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Fairytale Of New York is in a battle for number one in the UK charts against Wham! and Mariah Carey following the death of MacGowan, according to the Official Charts Company. Originally released in 1987, the gritty festive track has never reached the top spot in the UK charts, peaking at number two and beaten to the Christmas number one spot in the year of its release by the Pet Shop Boys’ Always On My Mind.

There have been calls from MacGowan’s fans and Ms Clarke for the track to finally claim the coveted Christmas number one title in a few weeks time.

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