Shane MacGowan funeral: Nick Cave and Johnny Depp play roles in star-studded service

The funeral of Shane MacGowan has taken place at St Mary’s of the Rosary Church in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, Ireland.

Along with the singer’s family and friends, President Michael D Higgins attended with well-known faces from the world of music and entertainment, including actor Johnny Depp.

Singer Nick Cave gave a poignant rendition of A Rainy Night in Soho in a near three-hour funeral featuring a selection of MacGowan’s greatest hits. MacGowan, who found fame as the frontman of London-Irish punk/folk band The Pogues, died at the age of 65 last week.

Earlier, thousands of people gathered in Dublin for a funeral procession which began in Ringsend around 11am and made its way through various streets of the capital until just after midday. The hearse carrying his remains then travelled to Co Tipperary.

Between the public cortege through Dublin and Nenagh, and later via live web streams, it reached countless thousands of people, as his life and music had.

There was a stellar list of mourners and contributors in song, prayer and tribute – President Michael D Higgins, Johnny Depp, Bono (by recording), Nick Cave, Imelda May, Gerry Adams, Aidan Gillen, Glen Hansard, Lisa O’Neill, Liam Ó Maonlaí, Declan O’Rourke and others.

Shane’s sister Siobhan spoke eloquently of their childhood and of how her brother had been precocious, his love of literature, shared with his father, and of how Ireland, and particularly Co Tipperary, had become his spiritual home.

Spider from The Pogues touched his coffin as he walked past after a rendition of The Parting Glass.

But his wife Victoria Mary Clarke spoke at length, describing virtually every aspect of the late singer’s character and makeup.

In her eulogy, she explained his spirituality, his care for the poor and disadvantaged, his creativity, often influenced by various substances.

At times she spoke candidly about his indulgences and their effects – how he had once carried an encyclopaedia of pharmacology to learn them.

“His physical body lasted a very long time considering what he did to it,” she said, perhaps verbalising what many had long thought.

“Music could take us places that were so heavenly that it was like God. I think music in a way was like God to Shane.”

And in describing his deep religious sensibilities, of all creeds, there were lighter moments too.

He prayed constantly but was the “only man ever busted” by a priest for taking holy communion on a daily basis, she recalled fondly.

“Ultimately God is compassion and God is forgiveness. So Shane, although in the early days when I first met him he was a little bit slow to forgive the Brits, he kind of came around to it. And he started to really, really, really forgive everybody, everything immediately,” she said.

Then with a potentially awkward nod to the actor Johnny Depp, she offered another anecdote of forgiveness.

“I hope you don’t mind me saying this Johnny but when Johnny had a court case involving his ex-wife Amber [Heard] and Shane had a long conversation with you, didn’t he, and urged you to forgive Amber. He just thought it was the best thing to do,” she said.

“And I’m sure you have by now haven’t you? Of course you have.” There was muffled laughter.

However, the service was full of laughter, along with tears and applause and fond memories of a national treasure. As his coffin was carried out into the Nenagh evening, there as an ovation and a sense of celebration, a life well remembered and then some.