Shane MacGowan will go down in history as ‘one of Ireland’s greatest writers’, Sharon Shannon has said. 

The Pogues frontman passed away last week and will be buried today in County Tipperary. 

His funeral cortege will pass through Dublin city centre, allowing all of those who admired him to pay their respects to him. 

On Newstalk Breakfast, his friend Sharon Shannon said she was in no doubt his legacy as a musician would endure down the years.

“The songs he’s left behind will be loved and listened to forevermore, I’m certain of it,” she said. 

“He’ll go down in history as one of the greatest writers that ever came out of Ireland.” 

Shannon said she considered herself “lucky” as a musician to have toured with him several times during his career. 

“He was an amazing person, a lovely person, a really shy person,” she said. 

“An absolute genius - as everybody knows - and he had a great empathy for people and [he was] an absolute genius songwriter and poet.” 

'Really great empathy'

MacGown was open about his battle with alcohol and drug addiction but Shannon said despite his reputation as the “ultimate wildman hellraiser”, he was actually a very sensitive person. 

“I found it fascinating that he could come out with some of the deepest, craziest, boldest, funniest and maddest lyrics,” she said. 

“He had also written some of the most beautiful and precious love songs that I’ve ever heard. 

“Like I said earlier on, he had really great empathy.” 

Others have spoken of his concern for those in society who had the least and Shannon said she always found him a “really kind and considerate” man. 

“I was listening to Victoria [his wife] being interviewed the other day and she said that he always had time for everybody, for homeless people on the streets,” she said. 

“He always had a big wad of cash to give to people.” 

MacGowan’s funeral mass will begin at 3.30pm this afternoon at St Mary’s of the Rosary Church, Nenagh, County Tipperary.

Main image: Shane MacGowan. 08/12/2023. Image: RIP.ie