It’s likely to be standing room only this afternoon for Shane MacGowan’s funeral mass in Nenagh.
Family, friends and fans will bid their final farewell to the proud son of Tipperary who passed away last week.
Shane is best known for his work with The Pogues and was held in high esteem by singers and songwriters across the world.
President Michael D Higgins is set to attend the mass which gets underway at 3.30 in St Mary’s of the Rosary Church.
Other’s expected to attend the funeral include Johnny Depp and Bono.
Music will play a key part of the mass with Nick Cave, Finbarr Furey and Lisa O’Neill among those performing.
Shane MacGowan was proud of his roots in Tipperary having spent much of his childhood in Silvermines and then in later years in Carney.
He loved nothing better than going to Philly Ryan’s pub in Nenagh where he could simply be one of the lads.
Philly is also the undertaker looking after Shane’s funeral.
He told Fran Curry on Tipp today earlier about how Shane loved to play a game of pool when he got the chance.
“Pa Mitchell was my barman for a lot of years and Pa was full time asking fella’s ‘would you go and play a game of pool with Shane please?’ Shane would be playing on his own down there – nobody would be playing with him, you know. And his pool had died a little death but Shane loved to play a game of pool and somebody would come in and Pa would say ‘Hey, listen would you go down and play Shane in a few games of pool’. But it always came with the caveat that he had to win one of the games at least.”
