Shane MacGowan's widow says singer urged Johnny Depp to forgive his ex-wife Amber Heard as he 'genuinely believed in forgiveness' in eulogy where she reveals he 'told everybody how much he loved them in his final days

Shane MacGowan's widow says the singer urged Johnny Depp to forgive his ex-wife Amber Heard as he 'genuinely believed in forgiveness' in a eulogy where she reveals he 'told everybody how much he loved them' in his final days. 

Victoria Mary Clarke said that her late husband 'wouldn't hold a grudge against anyone' as she spoke to the massed crowd at his funeral.

Speaking to Hollywood actor Depp, she said 'I hope you don't mind' before telling the mourners how her late husband 'urged' him to forgive Heard.

Ms Clarke was pictured in tears as she grieved before the coffin was brought into the church, draped in a Irish flag. 

In a tribute, she said that his death 'took us all by surprise' - as everyone 'thought he'd come home'. 

Earlier, fans belted out his classic Christmas hit Fairytale of New York, raised a glass of Guinness and threw flowers as his funeral procession made its way through the capital.

MacGowan, who died last week following a battle with pneumonia, is most well-known for the Christmas classic, which is expected to reach Number One in the charts this season.

The Irish singer had been discharged from hospital over a week before after undergoing treatment for viral encephalitis, a condition in which swelling develops on the brain.    

She said: 'I hope you don't mind me saying this Johnny, but when Johnny had a court case involving his ex-wife Amber 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, because he believed, genuinely in forgiveness.

'And I'm sure you have by now - of course you have! Of course you have!'

The widow recounted how she 'fell in love with his soul' when they first met, adding that she 'felt like I'd won the lottery'. 

She added: 'It would be greedy, really to want more than we got. We got so much. Of course I'm going to miss him.

'I've been devastated and I've been crying and crying and crying but at the same time as crying I think it's possible to feel that my heart has got bigger - it has got so much bigger as a result of our relationship and I feel that it will never go back.'

She told mourners that MacGowan was 'so full of love'. 'He was very much a humanitarian and a socialist and he loved people, but he didn't necessarily demonstrate that to his friends always,' she said. 

'He could be quite cantankerous and rude and sometimes hostile, and I'm sure the Pogues will attest to that. 

'But towards the end, he just told everybody how much he loved them, like nurses in the hospital were almost shocked because he would say 'I love you' and he'd never even met them before. 

'And I just think for so many people, he was just so full of love, and I'm feeling so much love now from him, that I don't think he can go away. 'I don't think love can go away, can it? I really just don't.' 

She said she felt 'there was nothing more that my life needed in order to be complete than to be with him'. 

'I loved his presence and I loved his smile and I loved his voice. And I love the fact that 50 times a day we would laugh at each other and smile with each other and say I love you to each other. 

Ms Clarke described her husband Shane MacGowan as a 'cosmonaut'. 

'When I say cosmonaut, what I mean is that he was a kind of person who wasn't really that interested in living a normal life,' she said. 

'He didn't want a nine-to-five job or a mortgage or any of that stuff. He liked to explore all aspects of consciousness. He liked to explore where you could go within your mind. 

'So he wasn't like one of those people who climb mountains or drive racing cars or any of that stuff, but he did do the same, the equivalent with his mind, and obviously, he chose many, many, many mind altering substances to help him on that journey of exploration. 

'And he really did live so close to the edge that he seemed like he was gonna fall off many times. I mean, me and Siobhan, and all the family we've kind of lived in terror, haven't we, for a very long time. 

'But on the plus side, I think that exploration led to a kind of creativity which may not have been possible without the use of all these substances.'

Later she presented symbols of her last husband during the funeral mass which have included a copy of a Johnny Depp album who she called a 'massive fan' of The Pogues frontman. 

The 60-year-old Pirates Of The Caribbean series star previously attended MacGowan's wedding to Victoria Mary Clarke. He was dressed on Friday in a black suit, hat and wearing a scarf and dark sunglasses. 

Depp was joined by Hothouse Flowers frontman Liam O'Maonlai as they read the prayers of the faithful during this afternoon's service. 

Irish rock legend Bono had been expected to attend MacGowan's funeral but was unable to do so. Instead, the U2 frontman provided a recorded reading which was played out to the congregation. 

Earlier fans belted out his classic Christmas hit Fairytale of New York, raised a glass of Guinness and threw flowers as his funeral procession made its way through the capital.

And at the funeral his friends Glen Hansard and Irish singer-songwriter Lisa O'Neill belted out the tune, as mourners danced in the church.

At the end of the service, his old bandmates reunited as they played The Parting Glass - traditionally sung at the end of a gathering of friends. As it ended Fr Gilbert said: 'I think I've died and gone to heaven - The Pogues!'

MacGowan's widow had wanted a celebration of her husband's life and gave a thumbs up and smiled broadly as she saw the people of Dublin respond as she hoped. 

He died last week at the age of 65, following a battle with pneumonia. The singer had been discharged from hospital over a week before after undergoing treatment for viral encephalitis, a condition in which swelling develops on the brain. 

Liam O Maonlai, lead singer of the Hothouse Flowers, and former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, are among the early arrivals for the funeral service at Saint Mary's of the Rosary church.

Johnny Depp is to make a heartfelt tribute to his friend and is due to read a prayer 'Peace, Love and Forgiveness' for the Pogues singer.

Siobhan MacGowan thanked many of the special guests for attending her brother's funeral, including Irish president Michael D Higgins.

Recalling the end of Shane's life, she said he spent the last six months of it in hospital, although noted with many friends visiting there was 'hardly a dull moment'.

She also thanked the carers and health workers who looked after MacGowan, 'always ensuring his comfort, which allowed us to share laughter and loving moments with them to the end'.

'We will be eternally grateful to you,' she told mourners.

Siobhan said, while they were born in Kent, her brother's 'veins ran deep with Irish blood', and he found his spiritual home in Co Tipperary, their mother's childhood home.

'Shane absorbed the magical mayhem of this place, and along with the musical talents of his mother, the literary leanings of his father, and their enduring love for their son, it would be the greatest influence on his life,' she said.

In an emotional address, Siobhan said: 'So Shane you did what you said you were going to do on those long-ago days in Tipperary. And you did it with such heart and fire. 

'A fire that is not dimmed by death, for you have lit that fire and it burns now in Ireland and all over the world. 

'And so, Shane, with words from Dad and I, your little sister and your father, we are so proud of you, so very proud of you our darling.'

With her voice breaking as she quoted her brother, she added: 'As a sunset came to meet the evening on the hill, I told you I'd always love you, I always did and I always will.'

More than 30,000 people lined the streets and there was standing room only in the service. Police sealed off vast stretches of South Dublin to allow crowds to pay their respects to the star as his casket was driven through the city.

As the church is expected to be full, the service was being transmitted to local pubs and on the Internet.

MacGowan's coffin was brought to the front of the church draped in an Irish tricolour flag and placed close to a large black and white photograph of the Pogues singer. 

Irish president Michael D Higgins was one of the mourners seen arriving for the funeral mass, and had a seat at the front of the funeral. He was visibly emotional as MacGowan's sister Siobhan recalled her beloved brother crying as he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement award from the politician - saying: 'to recieve that award from the President of Ireland meant more than any other.'

She said, that while they were born in Kent, her brother's 'veins ran deep with Irish blood', and he found his spiritual home in Co Tipperary, their mother's childhood home.

Shane absorbed the magical mayhem of this place, and along with the musical talents of his mother, the literary leanings of his father, and their enduring love for their son, it would be the greatest influence on his life,' she said.

Game Of Thrones star Aiden Gillen, who presented an Ivor award to Shane MacGowan in 2018, also attended the service for the late singer at Saint Mary of the Rosary Church in Nenagh, Co Tipperary - where his mother attended mass every Sunday.

Father Pat Gilbert welcomed 'the world' to the funeral mass of Shane MacGowan.

'We welcome the world of people this great man influenced, encouraged, entertained and touched,' he said. 'Your presence here is very important and a huge statement of the love and esteem we all have and had for this great man.'

He added: 'We gather together his life, his loves, his lyric, and his light, and his music before this altar and to pray for the eternal rest of his soul.'

Former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams gave an opening speech at the funeral, as he praised MacGowan's 'genius' and said his music would live on 'forever'. His words were greeted with applause and some cheers from those gathered.

Imelda May, Liam O Maonlai and Declan O'Rourke then performed You're The One at Shane MacGowan's funeral. 

MacGowan's wife, Victoria Mary Clarke then led those gathered as various possession were displayed in the church including books, records and a DVD of The Godfather.

Victoria introduced a copy of the Buddha: 'Is this the first time a copy of the Buddha has been held up in a Catholic church?'

Later she presented symbols of her last husband during the funeral mass which have included a copy of a Johnny Depp album who she called a 'massive fan' of The Pogues frontman.

A Led Zeppelin record, art and lyrics from MacGowan that form a Crock Of God book, a James Joyce novel, a hurling stick and a Tipperary flag were also among the items presented at Saint Mary's of the Rosary Church in Nenagh, Co Tipperary.

A rendition of Haunted by The Pogues echoed inside the church as it was performed at MacGowan's funeral by Irish musicians.

During the service, Father Pat Gilbert said MacGowan's widow Victoria had cared for him until his death.

He told his funeral mass: 'I know he adored you Victoria and you him, and you were so loving, supportive and kind throughout your lives together. You carried and cared and caressed him right to the very end.

'And I am also aware of the strong bonds of love and affection that knit you together as a family Maurice, Siobhan and Anthony. I know that you all will miss Shane terribly.

'A voice, a presence around you and with you, is suddenly silent - and coping with that loss is always difficult.'

He added: 'Born on the birthday of Jesus and passing on the same days as Oscar Wilde and Patrick Kavanagh, and his funeral celebration mass today on this great feast of Mary and Sinead's (O'Connor) birthday.

'Something seems right about all of this.'

Fr Pat Gilbert said mortality was at the heart of Shane MacGowan's music.

He said: 'A poet, lyricist, singer, trailblazer. He reflects life as lived in our time, calling out accepted norms that oftentimes appear unacceptable.

'But, in order to speak, to be heard, and to have that revolutionary edge to life, the first step is to listen. And Shane was a great listener.'

He added: 'Your life gave growth to so many of us, Shane, and your bright light gave salvation to our often dark and empty skies.'

The hearse carrying his coffin, which was draped in the Irish tricolour, left Nenagh, Tipperary, at breakfast time to make the 99-mile journey to Dublin, where he had lived with Victoria.

Although he was born in Kent, the hellraising punk star's childhood was in Nenagh, where his father and sister still live.

The coffin was carried in the back of a horse-drawn carriage, surrounded by police motorbike riders as a band and a piper led the cortege. A black and white picture of the singer adorned the casket.

Some mourners threw flowers in the path of the hearse as it made its way from Shelborne Greyhound Stadium to Dublin city.

His coffin was then taken to Tipperary for his public mass at Saint Mary's of the Rosary church, which is due to begin at 3.30pm. Music from The Pogues was piped in the town of Nenagh, Co Tipperary, ahead of the funeral of Shane MacGowan.

MacGowan's funeral procession was given a police escort, with his widow praising officers for helping to manage the crowd of fans in Dublin as the cortege makes its way to his funeral in Co Tipperary. She tweeted: 'Thank you so much @GardaTraffic for your help today and for the escort for @ShaneMacGowan.' 

A handmade sign with 'thanks for all the fairytales Shane' was placed on the side of the road on the way into Nenagh, where Shane MacGowan's funeral is due to take place later on Friday afternoon.

'RIP Shane' was written on the side of a haybale further along the road.

Dozens of fans were seen singing some of the star's greatest hits, with some even dancing along as they toasted his memory in the street.

Among those who turned out to pay respects was Marguerite Jennings, 54, who travelled from Galway. She said: 'Shane was not only a pop star, he was also a top Irish poet. His work will never be forgotten.

'And he was really down-to-earth. I bumped into him in a confectionery shop around 20 years ago in Carrickson-upon-Shannon and he was so friendly.

'He was buying some cigarettes. But he turned round and spoke to everybody in the shop, including the children, and made us all laugh.

'I'll never forget his infectious laugh. I can hear it now. It's no trouble at all for me to come to Dublin and pay my respects. He absolutely deserves it.'

Finlay Byrne, 63, said: 'I once spent the night drinking with him. He was such amazing company.

'He was really erudite. And a real man of literature. He just reeled off all the books that he was reading at that time.

'He gave me the impression that the rockstar life was just a facade.

'He was one of us. He was really shy and he was really God-fearing. I remember him kissing his crucifix and saying a wee prayer.

Another well-wisher Michela Dubber,51, said: 'I'm glad that he's getting a good sendoff. He has bought so much pride to the country. He was an incredible poet. His lyrics will live long after we have all gone.'

But the singer's funeral turned out to be a bonus for a couple from Nottingam, who are in Dublin for a pre-Christmas weekend break.

Michelle Train and partner Richard Worley stumbled across the funeral and stopped to film it on Facebook. Ms Train was overheard looking into her phone and explaining who Shane MacGowan was to a friend.

She explained: 'It was a friend back in Nottingham, and it clicked on her eventually. Of course she knew who Shane was! Richard and I love his music and it's an honour to be here to be part of his send off.'

Retired care worker Shiela O'Byrne,67, held flowers and a sign saying 'A beautiful soul never forgotten.'

She said: 'The rain has been falling like tears. But we are not crying today. We are smiling because we had 65 years of Shane and his wonderful music and his wonderful smile. Each time I saw him he just made me smile too.'

Thousands of mourners have gathered in the streets of Dublin to pay their final farewell to Irish punk icon Shane MacGowan.

To give as many people as possible the opportunity to pay their respects to the Pogues' frontman, the cortege carrying the legendary singer, travelled through Dublin before going on to Tipperary where he will be cremated.

The funeral is being organised by local undertaker and his friend Phillip Ryan. The singer's remains are being carried in a horse drawn carriage around south Dublin, where he lived with wife Victoria, accompanied by the Artane Band which was founded in 1871 and a piper.

Shane begun his journey by horse-drawn carriage from South Lotts Road, and will travel down Pearse Street and onto Westland Row, giving fans who loved him dearly the chance to say a final goodbye. 

Mourners applauded as the funeral procession passed McMahon Bridge in Dublin, with the sounds of Fairytale of New York and A Rainy Night in Soho ringing out from speaker in honour of the fallen musician.

Members of the public threw flowers and musicians played A Pair Of Brown Eyes as the funeral procession passed Sweny's pharmacy in central Dublin, which featured in James Joyce's Ulysses. 

Outside Sweny's pharmacy in central Dublin, a a group of musicians led mourners in a tearful rendition of Pogues' Christmas classic, Fairytale Of New York. 

Mourners, many holding photographs of Shane MacGowan, sang Dirty Old Town following his funeral procession through the streets of Dublin. 

At one point, the funeral cortège paused on Westland Row as the Artane Band played his hit Christmas song Fairytale of New York. 

Among those to witness the funeral procession was fellow musician Patrick McGuinness, 66, who played bass guitars in pubs at Ballsbridge where Shane also played.

Mr McGuinness said: 'Shane was a legend. He was a poet and he was a son of Ireland who everyone loved.

'His music will live on for centuries as will the love for him.'

Local café owner Joanne Moran said: 'Shane was an international figure, but Dublin was his home and you would see him walking around just like everybody else.

'It is a sad day and we have to show our love for Victoria and his family. They are part of the community and we feel so much sympathy for them.'

Aidan Grimes, 60, described MacGowan as an icon and said: 'I remember the first time I saw 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.

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

'I met him in Dublin about 15 years ago and he was a very charming, nice, friendly man. He 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.'

'Going Home', the theme from the movie Local Hero, was one song played by the piper as he lead the procession through the streets of Dublin. 

Kevin Sexton from Co Fermanagh said MacGowan opened doors for Irish people living in England.

'He made Irish people proud to be Irish at a time in London when it was a very difficult time to be Irish.

'The Troubles were in full tilt. A lot of terrible things happened.

'Shane MacGowan opened doors. He introduced Irish culture and his own unique writing ability and voice and style that opened up a mix of Irish music plus rock plus punk, his whole unique persona transformed into song that enlightened the world.'

Darragh McColgan from Dublin said MacGowan was a genius.

He added: 'To me he was all about culture, the energy of it, it was representative to me of what being Irish is.

'It will be a day we knew was coming but it won't be easy to deal with because of what a big impact he was.'

Robert Mateer said: ' It is a very sad day. Shane has been part of the tapestry of Irish music for decades as well as part of the community. He will always be missed.'

Pogues fan Brenda Murphy, 38, waved a poster of Shane and said: 'He was such a gentle soul. He would always say hello and smile despite the fact that he was poorly.

'I had heard some amazing stories about him drinking in pubs around here and playing in The Ship pub with The Dubliners.

'He had had his drinking problems and people would see him with what looked like a pint of water, but it was neat vodka.

'But he wasn't like that in terms of the hell-raising rock star. Shane was a deeply religious man and a good man who loved his wife and who loved Ireland.

'It has been a terrible year with losing Sinead O'Connor a few months back and now Shane. It is fitting that today would have been Sinead's birthday and Shane is joining her in heaven in the Lord's arms.'

After the Dublin procession, the singer's funeral was switching to Nenagh, Tipperary, where a mass was to be held followed by cremation.

Shane classic tune Fairytale of New York is set to top the Christmas pop charts for the first time but he himself was not a big fan of the tune, Mr Ryan revealed.

Despite its annual appearance in the Christmas charts since 2005 and an Xmas tradition since its release 35 years ago, Shane did not want to be remembered for it.

Mr Ryan, who runs a pub in Nenagh and is lead undertaker at Shane's funeral told Mail Online: 'He thought the Fairytale of New York was just a Christmas song and he didn't care much for it.

'When he was in Nenagh he would come into the pub regularly and I had known him since 1987 and he would sing sometimes with the bands here, but he never sang Fairy Tale in New York.

'If he saw a band on stage, he would sometimes get up on stage and support them to give them confidence, but he would not sing Fairytale.'

The song is set to top the charts for the first time and a number one slot for the song which was recorded with the late Kirsty MacColl, who 23 years ago in Mexico, has been supported by Shane's widow Victoria.

It has already entered the top five and is expected to reach number one after his funeral tomorrow in time for Christmas Day, which would have been his 66th birthday

She posted a heartbreaking message about her late husband on social media today thanking his fans for the support she had received and paying tribute to the love he gave her.

'It's incredible to think that so many people want to come to his (funeral) and that so many beautiful people are pouring their hearts and souls into making it magnificent and magical and memorable for him and for us who are left behind.

'I am feeling my heart bursting open in all directions with the amount of love that is being showered on us and most especially because everyone has their own problems and challenges and everyone has their own loved ones who they need to look after.

'I feel that Shane is with me all the time and that he is feeling intense appreciation and gratitude and that he is still sending love to everyone and maybe in a more powerful way from where he is now.

'I couldn't have possibly asked for a more precious and enduring love affair as a human and I got so much from my relationship with Shane that it would be greedy to want more!

'I would love to say to anyone who is in a relationship with someone who has problems with addiction or anxiety or depression to please get healing and help for yourself, and to take care of yourself and you will find that it gives you the strength to keep going and to be able to enjoy.

'And to anyone who is in fear of losing someone just know that millions of angels are watching you and supporting you.'

She said Shane did not like funerals, but added: 'But if you want to remember him, the next time you see a homeless person stop and give them your time and your compassion and your respect and treat them like a brother or a sister.'

Mr Ryan added: 'He hated the whole celebrity thing and was one of the most humble people you could meet. 'He was kind, sincere, and quite a shy man.

'He would not listen to songs by his band The Pogues and if he heard one, he would ask me to put music on my cellphone and to turn it up.

'He much preferred to hear Seán Ó Riada live at the Gayatri and he would ask people to be quiet so he could listen to the music on the phone.'

Mr Ryan said the singer had been desperately unwell this year and in terrible pain. You don't want to see anybody like that.

'I don't like to say it, but it his passing is in some ways a Godsend as he does not have to suffer any more. The poor fellow was very sick.

'I have known him for many years and I will miss him a great deal, and so will many other people in Nenagh.'

The singer had asked his friend to conduct his funeral in 2017 while at his wife Victoria's birthday after they were at a Black Sabbath gig in Dublin.

The singer requested private prayers with his family and then a public mass a private cremation. His ashes will scattered on the Shannon which inspired his song 'The Broad Majestic Shannon.'

Shane, who was 65, died from pneumonia last week, after being wheelchair bound and in poor health for years.

A wake will be held in Mr Ryan's pub once the service has concluded.

Dublin's pubs are also expected to be busy raising glasses to the Pogues star.

Inside the life of Shane MacGowan: The Pogues rocker who was born in Tunbridge Wells and went to prep school in Westminster, but had his first Guinness at four, and got drunk on whiskey at eight, leaving all who loved him asking - how did he make it to 65! 

by CHRISTOPHER STEVENS 

Farewell to the Spirit Of Christmas Plastered. Shane MacGowan, the ravaged, foul-mouthed, broken-toothed rock star who co-wrote the best-loved festive karaoke song of all time, has died aged 65 — decades later than he or anyone else expected.

The former singer with punk-folk band The Pogues defied the doctors so often that he achieved a kind of immortal status. A few days ago, his devoted wife Victoria, who became his lover at 16 and stayed loyally at his side ever after, released photographs of him in a hospital bed. He was skeletal, paper-skinned but still flashing his reprehensible grin.

His beloved festive hit with Kirsty MacColl, Fairytale Of New York, will be bellowed out at pub parties across the land this year with more gusto and raw emotion than any traditional carol. No one could possibly render Silent Night or The First Noel with the same ferocious glee.

The lyrics are infamous: 'You're a bum, You're a punk, You're an old slut on junk, Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed. You scumbag, You maggot, You cheap, lousy faggot, Happy Christmas your a*se, I pray God it's our last.'

The single was the result of a drunken argument with Elvis Costello, who produced The Pogues' breakthrough second album, Rum, Sodomy & The Lash. Goading them in the bar at Dublin's Blooms Hotel, Costello bet the band they couldn't write a Christmas song without turning into a schmaltzy pop variety act, punk versions of Val Doonican.

Winning the bet took two years but, in December 1987, MacGowan and his sister, Siobhan, were huddled round a transistor radio at the farmhouse in Tipperary, listening avidly to Radio 1's chart show. Fairytale Of New York was No.2 in the UK, No.1 in Ireland.

In later life, he sometimes disowned it, claiming not to like Christmas. 'I can't stand all that sort of stuff. It's gross.' He said the song left him 'bored', but became defensive when an online student magazine called The Tab blasted it in 2019 as 'homophobic' because it included the insult 'faggot' — used as a derogatory word for a gay man.

The word, sung by MacColl, was 'used by the character because it fitted with the way she would speak. She is not supposed to be a nice person.

'She is a woman of a certain generation and she is down on her luck and desperate,' he said.

'Not all characters in songs and stories are angels or even decent and respectable. Some have to be evil or nasty to tell the story effectively.'

Though born on December 25, MacGowan, whose final years were spent in a wheelchair, afflicted by encephalitis that caused swelling of the brain, was an unlikely patron saint of Yuletide.

A former heroin addict whose drink and drug binges were notorious even amid the 1980s music scene, he survived numerous drunken fights and a high-speed fall from a car on a motorway (something, improbably, that he shared with another star of his era, George Michael).

Though the reputation of The Pogues was built on chaotic performances and crowd punch-ups, the band found his hell-raising excesses impossible and sacked him as lead singer in 1991.

His response was to form The Popes, in effect a tribute band to himself. Recording sessions for the first album were so demented and dissolute that each day's tapes were sent to another studio to be reworked. MacGowan never noticed the difference.

For 30 years, he lived on the fumes of past glories and the royalties from Fairytale. Despite the shambling wreckage that was his life, he retained an unmistakable voice with a drawling delivery that was much loved.

Bob Dylan invited him to be the opening act for a show in New York in 1988. MacGowan failed to show up at the airport and missed his flight. His wife, the music journalist Victoria Mary Clarke, found him at a friend's house, with blood streaming down his face.

After swallowing dozens of LSD tabs, and tripping to Puccini's Madame Butterfly, he had become convinced it was his cosmic duty to devour the Beach Boys' Greatest Hits — literally, by chewing a vinyl album.

'Shane took a lot of drugs,' Victoria remarked, 'and the effects became more unpredictable and more disturbing. That was the problem, not the gin and tonic.'

His capacity for self-destructive binges, coupled with an Irish poet's gift for the English language and a genuine appreciation for beautiful music, earned him lifelong admirers. He recorded with Nick Cave, performed on the BBC's Children In Need single Perfect Day with Lou Reed and David Bowie, and sang in French on a Serge Gainsbourg tribute album.

For his 60th birthday celebrations at Dublin's National Concert Hall in January 2018, he was joined by Cave, U2 singer Bono, Cerys Matthews of Catatonia, Sex Pistol Glen Matlock and Carl Barat of the Libertines — rock aristocrats spanning 30 years of stardom.

Pogues members reunited as his backing band and Johnny Depp played rhythm guitar.

A man of endless contradictions, MacGowan started life not in Ireland but its spiritual opposite: Royal Tunbridge Wells.

His mother, Therese, went into labour unexpectedly when she and husband Maurice were visiting family in Kent, in 1957. Shane was their first child, born in Pembury maternity hospital.

Before the family returned to their crowded farmhouse in Tipperary, baby Shane spent his first few weeks sleeping in a drawer in his aunt's bedroom.

Therese loved singing and passed on her passion for music to her son. Maurice had a Dubliner's love of literature. Shane himself credited neither of them: his genius, he said began with a bout of measles, aged four: 'The spots never came out, they went to my head and I went completely mad for a month. That's when I started making up stories and poems and songs.'

A dozen or more relatives shared the house, including Shane's hero, Uncle John: 'He was a Zen master in the art of cursing. The rest of the time, he remained completely and absolutely silent. He grunted, rather than saying yes or no.'

It was a trick his nephew adopted for interviews with rock journalists. Silence alternated with unprintable outbursts, which help to explain why MacGowan was never a regular on TV chat shows.

His parents were often absent, working in England while he was growing up, and his aunts and uncles had a rackety attitude to child-rearing. He had his first Guinness when he was just four years old. Aged eight, he got drunk on whiskey for the first time. Weaving across the farmyard, he was convinced he could understand what the geese were saying.

He'd boast of IRA connections and claim the farm was a safe house for Republican militia men at the start of The Troubles in the 1960s.

Ireland's history hung over him in other ways. Once, scrabbling through the sand dunes on a trip to the seaside at Mayo, he and his friends uncovered human bones — the remains of famine victims from the 19th century.

The Kent connection also refused to go away. Defying convention, his parents declined to send him to the Christian Brothers school in Tipperary, instead enrolling him in an English prep school, Holmewood House in Langton Green.

He won a literary competition in a national newspaper, then a scholarship to Westminster, one of the most prestigious public schools. But his academic career proved brief. As a London schoolboy in 1971, he discovered marijuana, grew his hair long like a hippie and got hooked on prescription tranquilisers.

The boys were encouraged to hold a mock General Election. Shane was appointed to the Cabinet, as Minister for Torture. When he was expelled a year later, the official explanation was that he'd been caught smoking. What he was smoking wasn't specified.

After a brief spell at art college, he suffered a drug-induced breakdown and spent six months in a mental hospital, being weaned off Valium. When he emerged, he hacked off his hair and dyed the spiky remnants white.

His name, he announced, was now Shane O'Hooligan.

By 1976, he was a regular at the Roxy, Marquee and 100 Club — all the early punk venues. To cash in, he launched a fanzine called Bondage. It ran for one issue, which was all he needed to crowbar his way into the in-crowd.

At an early Clash gig, he was photographed at the edge of the stage snogging his girlfriend, bass player Jane Crockford of the all-girl band The Mo-dettes. When they were pulled apart, she'd bitten his earlobe and his face was smeared with blood. The photo ran in the New Musical Express, captioned: 'These people are cannibals!'

With his next girlfriend, he launched his own band, The Nipple Erectors. Known as The Nips, they released four singles but failed to dent the charts — though one of their drummers, Jon Moss, went on to form Culture Club.

MacGowan's next band, Pogue Mahone, appeared to be destined for equal obscurity... perhaps because their unpronounceable name translated in Gaelic to 'kiss my backside'.

But their sweaty, stomping blend of Irish folk music and rockabilly started to gain a following on London's pub circuit, and after a 1984 tour supporting The Clash they landed a record deal... as The Pogues.

'When I saw The Pogues for the first time, I was shocked,' Victoria said. 'It was crazy. Everyone was throwing chairs and throwing drinks. It was dangerous, for the band as well as the audience.'

Costello was hired to bring some discipline to the studio. Though he and most of the band grew to loathe each other, the sessions yielded their first hit single — a dirge called Dirty Old Town. It was originally written in 1949 by folk singer Ewan MacColl — father of late Fairytale singer Kirsty.

Sell-out tours followed, but MacGowan found life on the road gruelling. Sustaining himself with alcohol and drugs, he became increasingly paranoid.

Though he'd been in a long-term relationship with Victoria since she was 16, he stumbled into hotel beds with anyone willing to sleep with him. 'I never bothered with the ones you had to talk to,' he said. 'Whoever had the energy to capture me and drag me back to the hotel got the lollipop.'

He began to believe his lyrics were dictated to him by ghosts. 'I actually see people dictating to me, behind me, through... they call it the third eye. I've seen ghosts behind me in period costume on a couple of occasions.'

After a performance in 2000 with the late singer Sinead O'Connor, she reported him to the police for his heroin habit.

It probably saved his life. He and Victoria both went into rehab: he for drug addiction, she to be treated for depression.

Famous for his rotten teeth, in 2015 Shane underwent extensive dental surgery to replace them with implants. Victoria chose the whitest available, after seeing a photo of actor Michael Fassbender.

MacGowan, remembering how he had once got drunk with a bunch of fishermen in Greece with glittering smiles, insisted on having one solid gold tooth.

This year he and Victoria celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary, though they'd been together, with periodic break-ups, for 41 years. 'I've been lucky,' he admitted. 'I've been beaten up a lot, I've had a lot of illnesses and accidents, I've been run over three times.'

Victoria became his carer as a series of medical problems saw him hospitalised. MacGowan used a wheelchair from 2016, when he fell and broke his pelvis while dancing. Another fall, on his Zimmer frame, left him with a broken right knee and he subsequently tore ligaments in his other knee.

Last year, he published a book of his paintings and drawings in a limited edition, called The Eternal Buzz And The Crock Of Gold: 1,000 copies at £1,000 each.

It was a typical flash of defiance, one of the moments of artistic flair that somehow survived all his drink and drug abuse — like a gold tooth in a mouthful of ruins.