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Shane MacGowan: a timeless voice for Ireland’s UK diaspora

MacGowan gave visibility to the second-generation Irish in England, says Dr Sean Campbell.

1 Dec 2023 10:00

The Conversation

Shane MacGowan. Image is of two band members on a stage, one singing into a microphone and wearing a flat cap.

Performing Arts

Shane MacGowan performing in 2006. Photo: David McMahon. (Wikimedia Commons).

During a concert in Dublin in 2022, Bob Dylan paused between songs to pay tribute to another singer-songwriter who was in attendance that night. ‘I want to say hello to Shane MacGowan,’ said Dylan, praising MacGowan as one of his ‘favourite artists’.

MacGowan was not only pioneering in his evocation of Ireland’s diaspora in England – he composed songs of exceptional quality, attracting enormous critical respect and significant commercial success.

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The Conversation

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