Inaugural Unravelling Shane MacGowan guided tour starts in Midlands

THE inaugural Unravelling Shane MacGowan guided tour took place over the weekend.

Tipperary bus company Arra Travel, whose first group guided tour took place on Saturday March 28th, with coach driver Liam Boyle and tour guide Michael Molamphy, had up to 25 passengers on board.

The tour set out from Nenagh after viewing the mural dedicated to the late great singer and founding member of the Pogues, before moving to the nearby village of Pocán, where the band gave their one and only local concert on Nollaig na mBan - January 6th 1986.

Next stop was to Cloughprior Cemetery where many of Shane's relations, the Lynch family are buried. The cemetery is evoked in the song Sickbed of Cuchulainn. Close by the town land of Carney and its famous long established traditional popular rural pub, Ryan's of Carney, frequented by some of Shane;'s grand-uncles, where visitors were met by Elanor Ryan-Maher and welcomed to the iconic pub and adjoining rooms.

Boarding the bus again and straight to the Cross of Finnoe, which was a popular gathering place in days gone by; scene of crossroads dancing and a meeting place of neighbours. The crossroad at Finnoe is immortalised in the Broad Majestic Shannon.

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The town of Borrisokane, a short distance away was the next stop-off point and McKenna's/The Yanks pub frequented by Shane during visits home in the late 70s and early 80s. It was here Shane would realise it was possible to fuse both traditional and contemporary songs as he would go on to do with the Pogues. Visitors on the tour were treated to freshly baked classic scones with clotted cream and raspberry jam, all served with tea or coffee.

Departing Borrisokane, the bus made its way towards Ballinderry Sportsfield, home of Fánaithe na Sionnaithe/Shannon Rovers GAA club of which Shane's great -grandfather, John Lynch was a founding member and first President.

Kilbarron village was local to many of the Lynch family who attended Mass there as did Shane during childhood summers. Shane's mother Therese went to school there and his parents were married there in 1956. In recent years, a monument with the inscribed words of The Broad Majestic Shannon was erected in the village. Hannigan's Pub and its proprietor Cllr Joe Hannigan and his wife Jane were welcoming hosts, Joe taking time to point to the extensive display of photographs and memorabilia adorning the pub's interiors and narrating stories and anecdotes from times past. Hannigans and Kilbarron was frequented by Shane's grand-uncles over the years and is today is a focal point for many MacGowan Festivals.

No trip on the tour would have been complete without sight of the Shannon and so the Arra Travel Bus's next stop was to the tranquil Skehanagh Shores of Lough Derg, where visitors experienced the cooling Shannon breeze and made their memorable photographs at the water's edge, before returning back to Nenagh.

Group tours on the Shane MacGowan trail is a an excellent way to discover the hidden beauty of the North Tipperary landscape. Tours take place on Saturdays and booking can be made via the www.unravellingshane.website.

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