Summary

  • U2 frontman Bono and Hollywood actor Johnny Depp were among those taking part in the funeral Mass for The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan

  • Hundreds of people gathered in the grounds of St Mary of the Rosary in Nenagh, County Tipperary, as the hearse arrived

  • Irish President Michael D Higgins attended and Nick Cave, Imelda May and Declan O'Rourke were among those performing

  • The Mass was held close to where the singer spent summers as a boy, at his mother's family cottage

  • Crowds lined the streets of Dublin earlier for MacGowan's funeral procession, with his coffin taken by horse-drawn carriage around the city

  • The Fairytale of New York singer, 65, died on 30 November after being diagnosed with encephalitis. His widow Victoria Mary Clarke said the cause of his death was pneumonia

Live Reporting

Edited by Fiona Murray

  1. 'He was an icon'

    Aidan GrimesPA Media

    Aidan Grimes is waiting for the funeral procession on Pearse Street, in Dublin.

    He says he remembers watching The Pogues in the Hammersmith Odeon in 1985.

    "It is imprinted in my mind forever, just the madness and mayhem, the raucous nature of his singing and the music they were playing," he says.

    "Through the years he evolved into a great poet and he will be sadly missed."

    Mr Grimes met MacGowan in Dublin about 15 years ago and says he was a "friendly, charming" man.

    The pair talked about music and his time in London.

    "I thought it was important to pay my respects. He was an icon of Dublin, just like Brendan Behan, Luke Kelly. His music will be listened to in 100 years time."

  2. Rainy day in Dublin

    Ciaran McCauley
    BBC News NI in Dublin

    It's probably fitting that Dublin, Shane MacGowan's home city for many years with his wife Victoria Mary Clarke, is this morning blanketed in a thick layer of cloud and rain.

    Rain and weather was a theme of MacGowan's lyrics - you can't have that night in Soho without the rain, the morning light at Albert Bridge without the mist. He was Irish after all.

    Shane MacGowan tribute and Rock Wall Temple Bar

    A tribute has been erected at the Rock Wall in Temple Bar

    The city will turn out to say farewell to the Kent-born, London-raised punk turned bard of the Irish immigrant experience. Thousands are expected to line the streets of the south inner city, not far from MacGowan's home in Ballsbridge.

    Later, his funeral will take place in County Tipperary where he grew to love Irish culture and music as a boy - and where the seeds were sown for the Pogues.

  3. Dublin procession in horse-drawn carriage

    Shane MacgowanPA Media

    MacGowan’s funeral procession around Dublin’s south inner city is expected to last 45 minutes to an hour, starting about 11:00 local time.

    It will involve a horse-drawn carriage, led by the Artane Band and a piper.

    The procession will begin at the junction of South Lotts Road and Ringsend Road and travel across McMahon Bridge and down Pearse Street to the junction of Lombard Street East and Westland Row. It will end at the top of Westland Row near Sweeney's Pharmacy.

    Afterwards, the hearse and family cars will leave for Nenagh, County Tipperary, where the funeral Mass will take place in St Mary of the Rosary Church at 15:30.

    The chief celebrant will be Fr Pat Gilbert, the co-parish priest.

    After the funeral, another procession will take place in the town with the public given a final chance to pay tribute to the Pogues frontman.

    He will then be cremated in a private ceremony.

  4. Who was Shane MacGowan?

    19-year-old Shane MacGowan, editor of punk rock magazine 'Bondage' in his office at St Andrews Chambers, Wells Street, London. He went on to front The Pogues. Original Publication: People Disc - HJ0379 (Photo by Sydney O'Meara/Getty Images)Sydney O'Meara/Getty Images

    The Pogues was once described as a tight, professional bunch of musicians fronted by a total shambles.

    But the shambles, their charismatic singer Shane MacGowan, was heralded as one of the finest song writers and lyricists of his time.

    The Pogues' great achievement was to successfully bring together traditional foot-stomping Irish music with the crashing chords of North London punk.

    Like fellow Celts Brendan Behan and Dylan Thomas, MacGowan's source of inspiration was invariably alcoholic and he became as famous for his legendary excesses as he was for his music.

    Read more here.

  5. Good morning

    Shane MacGowanGetty Images

    Good morning and welcome to our coverage of the funeral of Shane MacGowan.

    The frontman of The Pogues died at the age of 65 on 30 November. The Fairytale of New York singer had been diagnosed with encephalitis and was discharged from hospital not long before his death.

    His funeral will take place later this afternoon in Nenagh, County Tipperary - the area was close to the singer’s heart, having been where he spent much time as a boy visiting his mother’s family.

    Beforehand, this morning, there’ll be a procession through Dublin, with many people expected on the streets to bid a final goodbye to the London-born star who came to spend his final years in the city.

    It starts at 11:00.

    You’ll be able to watch parts of the procession at the top of this page, and follow updates throughout the day.