All eyes were on Tipperary, but the county’s hearts are now with Shane MacGowan’s family

The whole country’s eyes were on the front of St Mary of the Rosary Church in Nenagh on Friday for Shane MacGowan’s funeral.

The stunning performances, the skilled priest, the family and friends who were graceful, eloquent and witty. They performed surrounded by thousands of people inside and outside the church, as well as online and all over the world.

But if you were in the back of the church, you would have seen some other sights to remember.

Camera phones were shared among groups to watch the Mass on the live stream while listening in the church.

A man joined in to Fairytale of New York with his harmonica and the crowd sang along.

When it came to communion, even those at the back were included, which was no small feat for those on distribution.

People stood on church pews in ways our teachers may have scolded us for at school, but for this one day, it was somehow acceptable.

Each performance by Nick Cave, Imelda May, Glen Hansard, Lisa O’Neill, Mundy, Declan O’Rourke, Camille O’Sullivan, Cait O’Riordan and Liam O’Maonlai took away the breath of those gathered only to give it back so they could sing along.

So many photos and videos were taken, each to later become little messages and tributes online.

In Shane MacGowan’s youth the camera phones might have been lighters held up in the air.

But on Friday, they captured all angles of the ceremony and allowed those gathered to pay tribute to the singer in a new and modern way.

CAPTION: Young and Old: Paul Sweeney from Derry with James and Fia Long who had travelled all the way down from Derry to pay their respects. Picture: Eamonn McGee.

Fr Pat Gilbert put it perfectly when he shared with the crowd what The Pogues meant to him.

“As teenagers, the music and the lyric alerted us to what was happening around us. There was also the pride of being Irish.

What they could say and 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, the banjo or the accordion.

“And for one fella who struggled to learn one button of the accordion, that was salvation.”

Around the town you would find tributes to Shane MacGowan, from pictures in shops to a vacant building on Pearse Street with a photo of the late singer as its window.

They will not be the only memorials.

At this week’s Tipperary County Council plenary meeting, Cllr Joe Hanigan said that Shane MacGowan was a “Kilbarron man”.

He said just before Shane MacGowan’s passing, the village had erected a plaque in the singer’s honour.

He also said he had spoken to MacGowan about creating a walkway in Kilbarron lined with lyrics.

Shane MacGowan apparently told him to leave it until he passed.

CAPTION: Garda Donal Coughlan, Newport stands on duty at Pearse Street, Nenagh for the arrival of the funeral of Shane MacGowan to St Mary’s of the Rosary Church, Nenagh. Picture: Pádraig Ó Flannabhra.

Elected representatives paid tribute to the late Pogues front man and extended their sympathies to his family.

Cathaoirleach of Tipperary County Council and Nenagh councillor Ger Darcy said that Shane MacGowan loved the area and that Nenagh loved him.

“I just feel Shane MacGowan was one of our own,” said Cllr Darcy.

He said that MacGowan knew the area, its places and its “characters”. And perhaps these things “inspired” his music.

He thanked the staff at Nenagh Municipal District for their work in getting the town ready. And he acknowledged the businesses, residents and the gardaí.

“Nenagh people took this guy into their hearts. A very respectable tribute to Shane MacGowan,” said Cllr Darcy.

The local authority and the people of Nenagh did indeed have the town “shining”. But it was Shane MacGowan and his family, who lit up Nenagh last Friday.

Despite their grief his family gave the Irish people a great gift, the opportunity to say goodbye. The offerings at Mass of books,

Barrys tea, flags and records gave those gathered a glimpse of the man behind the poetic and often messy lyrics.

His sister Siobhán joked about sibling antics, childhood games and their shared love of Doctor Who.

She regaled the crowd with tales from their childhood in Tipperary, which she described as a “magical mayhem”, a “holy place with unholy hoolies” full of stories and tradition.

His wife Victoria Mary Clark took the opportunity to ask people to show compassion for people who are homeless and those who live with addiction.

She said her husband was kind and respectful to marginalised people.

He respected their choices and did not judge in ways our society is used to doing.

“So, next time you see somebody who you think is obviously an alcoholic or a drug addict, stop, give thought to it and let yourself consider giving a little compassion and respect to that person.

“That would be my final message,” said Victoria.

Fr Pat Gilbert, though presiding over what should have been a solemn event, played a huge part in keeping the ceremony a celebration of a great man’s life.

Councillors also recognised his contribution this week saying she was “brilliant” “spot on” and “excellent”.

All eyes were on Nenagh, but the county’s hearts are now with Shane MacGowan’s family as they grieve.

After the funeral, Shane MacGowan’s casket made one final round in the town, and hundreds lined the streets to see him off.

CAPTION: Crowd follow Shane MacGowan's funeral cortege on his final journey through Nenagh. Picture by Shannon Sweeney.

This was a send off befitting a man who made it acceptable and cool to be Irish in a time when that was not necessarily seen as so.

Many a pint was had in the late frontman’s honour last weekend as well as renditions of his music.

As Cllr David Dunne said this week:

“It’s a sad time but also an amazing time because his music will live on.”