by Mourners take to the streets of Dublin to bid farewell to Shane MacGowan in a public procession ahead of his funeral.
The singer, who rose to fame as the lead singer of London-Irish punk/folk band The Pogues, died aged 65 last week.
His funeral will take place in Fair, Co. Tipperary, later on Friday.
The procession traveled from South Lot Road on the south side of Dublin, down Pearse Street and on to Westland Row, with hundreds of people lining the streets at each point and following the cortege.
Smith’s remains were carried in a horse-drawn glass carriage and his coffin was decorated with the Irish tricolor flag and a black-and-white photograph of the singer in his youth.
Smith’s widow, Victoria Mary Clarke, traveled in a car behind the cortege, which was led by the Artane Band.
Members of the public laid flowers and musicians played A Pair Of Brown Eyes and Fairytale Of New York as the funeral procession passed Sweny’s pharmacy in central Dublin, which featured in James Joyce’s Ulysses.
Among those who managed to pay their respects was Aidan Grimes, 60, who described MacGowan as an icon.
He said: “I remember the first time I saw The Pogues at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1985. It’s etched in my mind forever, just the madness and the chaos, the chaotic nature of his singing and the music which they were playing.
“Through the years he changed into a great poet and he will be greatly missed.
“I met him in Dublin about 15 years ago and he was a very nice, nice, friendly person. 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 heard in 100 years.”
Josie Feeney, from Co Leitrim, traveled to Dublin to pay her respects.
She said: “My father’s family was from Tipperary, and my grandmother’s from Anagh.
“We don’t always know all the lyrics but this week we know more of Shane’s lyrics, they’re really exciting, they’re poetry. He was a genius.
“His legacy will live on forever. Bruce Springsteen said in 100 years we’ll be singing the words to his songs.”
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 very difficult to be Irish.
“The Troubles were in full swing. A lot of terrible things happened.
“Shane MacGowan opened the doors. He introduced Irish culture and his own unique writing ability and voice and style, which opened up a mix of Irish music and rock and punk, transforming his unique persona into a song that lit up the world .”
Darragh McColgan, from Dublin, said MacGabhan was a genius.
He also said: “For me it was all about the culture, the energy associated with it, it was representative of what Irish is.
“It’s going to be a day we knew was coming but it’s not going to be easy to deal with because of the impact it had.”
Ms Clarke thanked the Irish police force for helping manage the crowd of fans in Dublin.
She wrote on Twitter: “Thank you so much @GardaTraffic for your help today and for escorting @ShaneMacGowan.”
The funeral is taking place on what would have been Sinead O’Connor’s 57th birthday. The Irish singer, who was close friends with MacGowan, died earlier this year.
The public funeral mass of McGahan, which will be broadcast live, will take place at the Church of Our Lady of Rosann in Fairfield, Co. Tipperary, at 3.30pm.
It is expected that the President of Ireland Michael D Higgins will be present along with well-known faces from the world of music.
Father Pat Gilbert told RTE that the funeral would celebrate the spiritual side of Smith.
He said: “It’s a side of him that’s not known but it’s a side that we have to celebrate. It is a side that was important to him in the context of his life.
“We will have reception rites, we will have mass and we will have the last rites and pieces of his music that will be performed by some of his friends.
“I think that’s the right thing to do, that’s the way to celebrate the man, the faith, the music and the lyrics.
“That’s the way to celebrate and remember the husband, the brother, the son and the brother-in-law.”
After the funeral Mass, the public will also have the opportunity to pay their respects as the funeral cortege moves through the town center of the Fair from Church Road to Market Cross.
A private cremation will follow.
Mac Gabhann was born to Irish parents in 1957 in Pembury, Kent, and moved early to rural Tipperary where he was immersed in the culture of ceili bands and show bands.
The Pogues frontman, best known for the hit song Fairytale Of New York, died “peacefully” at 3:00 a.m. on November 30 with his wife and family by his side, a statement said. from his relatives.
He was to celebrate his 66th birthday on Christmas Day.
