Shane McGowan RIP

I felt the same about the dancing in the church. I cringed. It seemed forced.

Ah lads, worse things than dancing went on in churches the odd time

Dancing in church is prob just the way modern life is going , hard to get used to tho . Seeing the sister I think jumping over a seat like a hurdle to get up to dance was prob the stranger sight .

What you're talking about made the circus today even more bizarre.

I have no problem with him saying MacGowan or anyone else is overrated.

But to use the Rolling Stones, Beatles and Nick Cave as examples of the opposite is laughable to me. Stones and Beatles are just a phase people go through as far as I am concerned and Cave is one of those artists like Waits who "musical experts" like Fanning love to jack off to themselves telling the rest of us that only they are smart enough to appreciate.

Unless Tipp win the next few All Irelands and The Pogues become the new Cranberries.

Before you know it Munster and Ireland will latch on.

Jesus ye are a miserable shower. They celebrated his music and his life, and that included dancing. Fair play to them.

I agree with the comments towards the phones in the church. I hate the habit of recording everything. It is detestable.

However MacGowan was a hellraising entertainer who lived a very unconventional life. Many of the people at it are entertainers all living unconventional lives. Artists. Creators. Impulsive. High energy. It was a funeral befitting of him and was never going to be your run of the mill funeral. I thought it was all brilliant. Even the communion story, 100 acid tablets and the Amber Heard comments. So what, I really doubt Johnny Depp gave a crap these people have different mindsets. He'll remember fondly the chats with his friend Shane.

I don't get some of the attitudes here. I'd be quite a live and let live person I guess. I'm sure he had input into how he wanted it to go. He has been unwell and failing for quite a long time.

Until next December anyway.

Surprised there is no mention of Dempsey yet. The holy trinity of hangers on in the Irish music scene.

Bono couldn't make but I assume that's because the Dutch lad is out of visit days.

The best 'send off' I have ever seen. Superb. Would genuinely make you pride to be Irish.

And Dave was a miserable ******** and a *****'s *******'s *****.

It probably perpetuates a fairly harmless stereotype to the yanks that Irish people celebrate the person at death rather than mourn, a lot of them are looking at events in Nenagh with envy and thinking "that's how funerals should be done".

It's not actually how the vast majority of funerals go down in Ireland at all but to be honest I'd rather go out like that with people who cared for me toasting my memory as opposed to the weeping and the sadness.

Victoria's words on how Shane hated funerals and the negative feelings associated with them was striking, I think today was a funeral that he probably would have enjoyed because it seemed like everyone there did.

Something I noticed was how the people came out to celebrate McGowan. Whatever folks say about the celebrities, the people being on the streets... it said quite a lot about how much he meant to them. Thousands lined the streets, and I was genuinely surprised, in a good way, about how much he meant to people. He made many friends, and sadly his biggest enemy was himself. Especially his addictions and the toll they took on his body.

There have been other musicians who've died this year, who's passing and their impact felt...exaggerated. As an outside observer, I felt like one or two had burned their bridges so spectacularly , that few spoke to mourn them. Even as the media tried to note their importance, the lack of 'impact' on the everyday folks stood out.

With McGowan, it was the opposite. I think the loss was very much felt. It was even understated, in many respects. He connected across many generations.

99% of people under 40 either haven't heard of Rolling Stones & The Beatles or don't give a toss about them.

A bit like kids in the 60's not giving a toss about Caruso or John McCormack.

Its just 60+ Boomers and vinyl collectors who care in 2023.

It's ironic that the Beatles were targeting the tween market when they were actually making their albums (Until maybe Sgt Pepper which was more prog).