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SHANE MACGOWAN WAS presented with a lifetime achievement award by President Micheal D Higgins at the singer-songwriter’s 60th birthday celebration in Dublin’s National Concert Hall last night.
On an emotional night, packed with tributes to Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan, the former Pogues singer was joined by the likes of Bono, Imelda May, Glen Hansard, Nick Cave, and Sinead O’Connor to mark the occasion.
President Higgins gave McGowan a warm hug as he presented the singer with his award.
During the concert, Bono sang a snippet of Cranberries hit ‘Linger’ at the end of a rendition of Rainy Night in Soho. John Sheahan of the Dubliners and actor Johnny Depp joined the U2 singer on stage for his performance.
Cerys Matthews, the former Catatonia frontwoman, dedicated a version of the Pogues’ Broad Majestic Shannon to O’Riordan. Her rendition was met with a standing ovation.
Amongst the others in attendance to pay tribute to McGowan last night were Sharon Shannon, Primal Scream singer Bobby Gillespie, Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols and Carl Barat of the Libertines.
McGowan spent some of his childhood in Kent, before moving to Tipperary, but the family soon returned to the UK.
He established himself as a musician in the 1980s, drawing on his Irish heritage and his love for writers and poets such as Brendan Behan and JP Dunleavy.
He founded The Pogues in 1982, a group which blended Irish traditional music with punk, and who were responsible for classic songs like A Rainy Night in Soho and their collaboration with Kirsty McCall, Fairytale of New York.
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One of the truly great songwriters, one of lifes mystery’s is how he made 60, a true testament to the resilience of the human body.
Congrats Shane, deserves it
Legend !
@Gavin O’Brien: absolute legend,
Such a pity Dolores o Riordan didn’t get one also.
He looks in a bad way.
@@Kevinro1980:
What happened to him?
@@Kevinro1980: Dubliners song seven drunken nights comes to mind
@John Byrne: 40+ years of alcohol and drug abuse will do that to you. Unless you’re Keith Richards, in which case you walk away unscathed. I think Shane also broke his hip recently.
Would love to have been at this,absolutely love Shane McGowan, and to top it all off,Nick Cave was there too,would literally have fainted on the spot,Anyway congratulations Shane,legend.
Well deserved but, something tells me 2018 may claim him soon too
The greatest poet of my lifetime.
One of Ireland’s most talented artists
Immensely talented, no doubt about that, but he’s from England not Ireland.
@O Swetenham: born in England to irish parents, spent the first 6 and a half years of his life in Tipperary, considers himself Irish and has spent more of his life living in Ireland than England. That makes him irish in my opinion.
@Dermot Lane: Yeah you’re right. I’m being a wee bit pedantic I suppose.
The picture reminds me of one of those creepy Victorian post mortem photos where family members would pose for one last family photo with the dressed up corpse.
@TechProducts: he looks like a waxwork statue
Does anybody know if this was recorded and if so will it be made available for viewing?
@Brian Brogan: There was a some professional camera men there last night along with notices saying it was being recorded so hopefully it will become available.
Incredible night but I was annoyed to see some empty seats in front of us from no shows when there was a few hundred people queuing up outside hoping to get a ticket.
@Brian Brogan: Yes it was recorded.
Everyone loves him now.
Very well deserved. What a great night that must have been!
what a poet. Well deserved
who’s the guy dressed up as Johnny Depp?
@Johnhunky Dory: Oh… it IS Johnny Depp!!
@Johnhunky Dory: Bah humbug, I like Johnny Depp…
@Johnhunky Dory: don’t think he will offering to blast Shane out of a canon when he goes .
Thompson cost him a packet
When he was good he was very good, the music industry,it’s not for the faint hearted
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