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Colin Sheridan: Great poet Shane MacGowan’s written words will endure

Despite the sadness of MacGowan’s final years, as with all the great poets, it will be his written word that ultimately endures

Thu, 30 Nov, 2023 - 13:13

Colin Sheridan

Shane MacGowan died on Thursday at the age of 65, bringing the final curtain down on the life of one of music’s most charismatic and loveable rogues. As tortured as he was talented, reaching the age he did could well be regarded by some as a remarkable feat, given the hedonistic life he lived, the songbook he created and music he inspired.

The Pogues frontman seemed forever on the edge of the abyss, a high-wire act that saw him live a dozen lives in one. That it finally came to an end under the watchful gaze of the one person that loved him more than he probably loved himself is testimony to his genius, torment and rebellious charm.

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