Shane MacGowan short film reveals his 'lifelong love for Nenagh and Tipperary'

'The Local' is released on Friday, June 6

Shane McGowan. The town of Nenagh has paid tribute to the singer on several occasions since his death. File photo: Collins

Shane MacGowan’s sister has described how dancing in a packed church at her brother’s funeral was like “giving two fingers up to death”. The Pogues front man was 65 years old when he passed away on November 30, 2023.  

After his funeral cortege travelled through Dublin’s inner city, with hundreds lining the streets, it made its way to Nenagh, Co Tipperary where the singer’s life was celebrated in a three-hour ceremony at St Mary’s of the Rosary Church.

Attended by some of Hollywood’s A-listers, including Johnny Depp and Nick Cave, during the funeral his sister Siobhan MacGowan and wife Victoria Mary Clarke, climbed over their seats to dance to Fairytale of New York in the church aisles.

Now, in a new documentary made by a film student in University Limerick, Siobhan MacGowan reflects on the funeral and the song, saying: “And I just went, no no, this song goes on, this dance goes on” and how by dancing: “I kinda was putting two fingers up to death really.”  

The eight-minute short film called The Local, which was directed by final-year film student Bartek Bartosz Kolacki tells the story of Shane’s lifelong love for Nenagh and Co Tipperary.

His sister said he was the pride of the town. “Shane, a little boy who is Margaret Lynch’s grandson, did really well”. “He actually loved the freedom of Tipperary,” she said.

Shane’s close friend and bar owner Philly Ryan, where Shane was a regular, said he loved being in Nenagh.

He described how he would bless himself as he arrived in his mother's ancestral home. “When Shane were in Tipp, he would do this, without opening his eyes, he’d be delighted to be back in Tipperary,” he said. 

The town of Nenagh has paid tribute to the singer on several occasions since his death, including a mural painted at the side of Emmet Place by local artist Neil O’ Dwyer.

The Local, which is described as a “reflective documentary exploring the early life and local legacy of Shane MacGowan through the lens of his roots in Nenagh" will be released on Friday, June 6.