As important as ever Thanks @matthew.rn for creating, adding @rachelmaehannon singing and using my poem and recitation 💚
My darling friends Shane and Victoria So happy to see you both today!!! Lovely to hang out always. (and yes he’s a great kisser 😉) @shanemacgowanofficial @victoriamaryclarke
My darling friends Shane and Victoria So happy to see you both today!!! Lovely to hang out always. (and yes he’s a great kisser 😉) @shanemacgowanofficial @victoriamaryclarke
My darling friends Shane and Victoria So happy to see you both today!!! Lovely to hang out always. (and yes he’s a great kisser 😉) @shanemacgowanofficial @victoriamaryclarke
Thank you Shane. 💚 Thank you for opening your heart and sharing with us your glorious talents. We’ll never see the likes of again. Your genius songwriting and poetry weaved of words and wisdom that made mortals feel seen, heard and moved from stoney stoicism to quiet tears. In a world of perfection bullshit you were always real. You always lived your truth. Your defiance, passion, energy, self awareness, honesty, daring, anger, love was always inspiring. Your divilment infectious. That look in your eye right before you’d say something and then the laugh that set it up and us all off. You loved your tribe and we love you. You led us to hear our old songs with a fresh and proud heart. You gave us the strength of pride we needed both at home but especially to all Irish away from home and living with the emotional and cultural complexities of that. As I told you only last week your magnetism and immense spirit attracted us all like moths to the brightest, hottest flame. Your huge talents cracked wide open our often jaded hearts. More than anything though I loved the romance and realism in your every word. You spoke of truest love with all its ups and downs. Love that hits home when everyday unimportance is stripped away. Your belief in life and love was truthful, imperfect and so incredibly beautiful. Your muse, protector and angel Victoria always by your side until the very end. Your connection a beacon in the dark. Born on the birthday of Jesus and passing same date as Oscar Wilde and Patrick Kavanagh seems perfect. Somehow it feels you’re free of the shackles of the physical world now and you’ll fly to the divine as a child runs to home. May the road rise to meet you… Thank you Shane. Love always to our darling Victoria and all your family, friends and band family. Photo of the lovebirds by @bpfallon @shanemacgowanofficial @victoriamaryclarke 🌹 (P.S. give Sinéad and Kirsty a hug from me. And Mark, Christy and Jeff)
Thank you Shane. 💚 Thank you for opening your heart and sharing with us your glorious talents. We’ll never see the likes of again. Your genius songwriting and poetry weaved of words and wisdom that made mortals feel seen, heard and moved from stoney stoicism to quiet tears. In a world of perfection bullshit you were always real. You always lived your truth. Your defiance, passion, energy, self awareness, honesty, daring, anger, love was always inspiring. Your divilment infectious. That look in your eye right before you’d say something and then the laugh that set it up and us all off. You loved your tribe and we love you. You led us to hear our old songs with a fresh and proud heart. You gave us the strength of pride we needed both at home but especially to all Irish away from home and living with the emotional and cultural complexities of that. As I told you only last week your magnetism and immense spirit attracted us all like moths to the brightest, hottest flame. Your huge talents cracked wide open our often jaded hearts. More than anything though I loved the romance and realism in your every word. You spoke of truest love with all its ups and downs. Love that hits home when everyday unimportance is stripped away. Your belief in life and love was truthful, imperfect and so incredibly beautiful. Your muse, protector and angel Victoria always by your side until the very end. Your connection a beacon in the dark. Born on the birthday of Jesus and passing same date as Oscar Wilde and Patrick Kavanagh seems perfect. Somehow it feels you’re free of the shackles of the physical world now and you’ll fly to the divine as a child runs to home. May the road rise to meet you… Thank you Shane. Love always to our darling Victoria and all your family, friends and band family. Photo of the lovebirds by @bpfallon @shanemacgowanofficial @victoriamaryclarke 🌹 (P.S. give Sinéad and Kirsty a hug from me. And Mark, Christy and Jeff)
Happy Birthday Sinead. We send Shane off to join you today. What a day for Ireland. How blessed we were to have had such giants in our midst. Myself and Sinead and my darling @victoriamaryclarke at @shanemacgowanofficial 60th celebration (and the day we lost Dolores) All my love to Sineads and Shane’s families today. Grá Mór 💚💚
‘Fairytale of New York’ @thecamdenclublondon with @imeldaofficial in memory of Shane and Kirsty ❤️ Filmed by the brilliant @tomlaxton_ @tomlaxton_ #fairytaleofnewyork #pogues #shanemacgowan
@shanemacgowanofficial celebration of life!!! We gathered, cried, laughed, reminisced, gave thanks, held each other and danced. It’s so hard to lose a giant amongst us who has influenced and changed the world. So hard and soon after Jeff, Christy, Sinead. All icons. It’s a universal and personal mourning… and rightly so. Shanes funeral was filled with love as he was. The friendships are real, the support is solid. His brilliance attracted incredible people on his journey from nurses, to cab drivers to artists. He was an irresistible magnet to us all. @glenhansard did an incredible job herding us and pulling together something fittingly extraordinary for Shane. For which I was humbled to sing with @declanorourke When @thepoguesofficial @spiderstacy1 @glenhansard @thegingerman222 and @lisaoneillmusic and #johnsheehan @sharonshannonmusic @croninmusic @mundy_music played Fairytale of New York I remembered how every time I sang that song with Shane he’d get divilment in his eye and spin me round and around until we nearly fell over and so I just couldn’t stop myself from leaping out of my seat and grabbing @camilleosullivanpics @liamomaonlai, Shanes talented sister @siobhan.macgowan.1 and fabulous wife @victoriamaryclarke (who jumped leather booted over the pews) to dance and spin around our king as he was in the midst of us for the last time. It was a glorious ‘fuck it!’ moment for and with our Irish punk, romantic realist, genius, innovator, one of a kind @shanemacgowanofficial I’m honoured to have known him, I’m grateful to be a part of a great many people who will remain constantly amazed by him. The measure of our dreams… Thank you to @victoriamaryclarke for being so extraordinary and inspiring. Photo by @dragana23
I’m so honoured to be recognised by Dublin Canvas in celebrating the living…! Thank you so much! Steve O’Toole (@urnique.steve ) the artist who started this initiative explains… “Ireland is very good at commemorating & remembering our dead but we do little to celebrate our living. There are blue plaques all over Dublin to remember and mark how ‘Oscar was born here, Behan drank there, Joyce etc. and only in death Sinead, Shane and many many more are justly & rightly celebrated but whom in life were never given the accreditation they so rightly deserved. And so my Dublin Canvas submissions began last summer with ‘Pat Ingoldsby’s … Welcome To His Head … Complete with ‘Not Dead Yet’ Blue Plaque. Continuing this year with ’Imelda May … Mother of all the liberties… With accompanying ‘Liberties Belle’ Blue Plaque. * Mother of all the Liberties – A nod to the hierarchy & history of the women of the Liberties, and to Imelda’s current role in MOATB. * Liberties Belle – Reflecting on both ‘The proudly born Liberties Imelda’ and to Imelda’s own wonderful piece ‘Liberty Belle’. On seeing Imelda’s reposting of Celia’s ‘Highly Commended’ in the Arts & Entertainment category at the British Press Photographer of The Year Awards, and Imelda’s accompanying copy … ‘This photo of me from Cambridge Folk Festival last summer. Sinéad had just gone. I painted my top impulsively Put on my mother’s chain, my Jeff Beck pendant. Walked onstage with my band and sang with all my heart. Emotional night captured. Friendship forever’. I knew instantly this was the only image to use. I cannot emphasise the outpouring of Liberty love & fondness for both Imelda and her family that has not only been expressed to me but also in turn extended to me by association. I am really going to miss working on this much loved piece.” 📸 on Meath St also by @ailecphoto @dublincanvas #ImeldaMay #TheLiberties #TheLibertiesFestival #TheLibertiesDublin #DublinCanvas #DublinCanvasProject #DublinCityCouncil #ThisIsDublin #DublinEvents #Dublin8 #Dublin #Ireland
I’m so honoured to be recognised by Dublin Canvas in celebrating the living…! Thank you so much! Steve O’Toole (@urnique.steve ) the artist who started this initiative explains… “Ireland is very good at commemorating & remembering our dead but we do little to celebrate our living. There are blue plaques all over Dublin to remember and mark how ‘Oscar was born here, Behan drank there, Joyce etc. and only in death Sinead, Shane and many many more are justly & rightly celebrated but whom in life were never given the accreditation they so rightly deserved. And so my Dublin Canvas submissions began last summer with ‘Pat Ingoldsby’s … Welcome To His Head … Complete with ‘Not Dead Yet’ Blue Plaque. Continuing this year with ’Imelda May … Mother of all the liberties… With accompanying ‘Liberties Belle’ Blue Plaque. * Mother of all the Liberties – A nod to the hierarchy & history of the women of the Liberties, and to Imelda’s current role in MOATB. * Liberties Belle – Reflecting on both ‘The proudly born Liberties Imelda’ and to Imelda’s own wonderful piece ‘Liberty Belle’. On seeing Imelda’s reposting of Celia’s ‘Highly Commended’ in the Arts & Entertainment category at the British Press Photographer of The Year Awards, and Imelda’s accompanying copy … ‘This photo of me from Cambridge Folk Festival last summer. Sinéad had just gone. I painted my top impulsively Put on my mother’s chain, my Jeff Beck pendant. Walked onstage with my band and sang with all my heart. Emotional night captured. Friendship forever’. I knew instantly this was the only image to use. I cannot emphasise the outpouring of Liberty love & fondness for both Imelda and her family that has not only been expressed to me but also in turn extended to me by association. I am really going to miss working on this much loved piece.” 📸 on Meath St also by @ailecphoto @dublincanvas #ImeldaMay #TheLiberties #TheLibertiesFestival #TheLibertiesDublin #DublinCanvas #DublinCanvasProject #DublinCityCouncil #ThisIsDublin #DublinEvents #Dublin8 #Dublin #Ireland
I’m so honoured to be recognised by Dublin Canvas in celebrating the living…! Thank you so much! Steve O’Toole (@urnique.steve ) the artist who started this initiative explains… “Ireland is very good at commemorating & remembering our dead but we do little to celebrate our living. There are blue plaques all over Dublin to remember and mark how ‘Oscar was born here, Behan drank there, Joyce etc. and only in death Sinead, Shane and many many more are justly & rightly celebrated but whom in life were never given the accreditation they so rightly deserved. And so my Dublin Canvas submissions began last summer with ‘Pat Ingoldsby’s … Welcome To His Head … Complete with ‘Not Dead Yet’ Blue Plaque. Continuing this year with ’Imelda May … Mother of all the liberties… With accompanying ‘Liberties Belle’ Blue Plaque. * Mother of all the Liberties – A nod to the hierarchy & history of the women of the Liberties, and to Imelda’s current role in MOATB. * Liberties Belle – Reflecting on both ‘The proudly born Liberties Imelda’ and to Imelda’s own wonderful piece ‘Liberty Belle’. On seeing Imelda’s reposting of Celia’s ‘Highly Commended’ in the Arts & Entertainment category at the British Press Photographer of The Year Awards, and Imelda’s accompanying copy … ‘This photo of me from Cambridge Folk Festival last summer. Sinéad had just gone. I painted my top impulsively Put on my mother’s chain, my Jeff Beck pendant. Walked onstage with my band and sang with all my heart. Emotional night captured. Friendship forever’. I knew instantly this was the only image to use. I cannot emphasise the outpouring of Liberty love & fondness for both Imelda and her family that has not only been expressed to me but also in turn extended to me by association. I am really going to miss working on this much loved piece.” 📸 on Meath St also by @ailecphoto @dublincanvas #ImeldaMay #TheLiberties #TheLibertiesFestival #TheLibertiesDublin #DublinCanvas #DublinCanvasProject #DublinCityCouncil #ThisIsDublin #DublinEvents #Dublin8 #Dublin #Ireland
I’m so honoured to be recognised by Dublin Canvas in celebrating the living…! Thank you so much! Steve O’Toole (@urnique.steve ) the artist who started this initiative explains… “Ireland is very good at commemorating & remembering our dead but we do little to celebrate our living. There are blue plaques all over Dublin to remember and mark how ‘Oscar was born here, Behan drank there, Joyce etc. and only in death Sinead, Shane and many many more are justly & rightly celebrated but whom in life were never given the accreditation they so rightly deserved. And so my Dublin Canvas submissions began last summer with ‘Pat Ingoldsby’s … Welcome To His Head … Complete with ‘Not Dead Yet’ Blue Plaque. Continuing this year with ’Imelda May … Mother of all the liberties… With accompanying ‘Liberties Belle’ Blue Plaque. * Mother of all the Liberties – A nod to the hierarchy & history of the women of the Liberties, and to Imelda’s current role in MOATB. * Liberties Belle – Reflecting on both ‘The proudly born Liberties Imelda’ and to Imelda’s own wonderful piece ‘Liberty Belle’. On seeing Imelda’s reposting of Celia’s ‘Highly Commended’ in the Arts & Entertainment category at the British Press Photographer of The Year Awards, and Imelda’s accompanying copy … ‘This photo of me from Cambridge Folk Festival last summer. Sinéad had just gone. I painted my top impulsively Put on my mother’s chain, my Jeff Beck pendant. Walked onstage with my band and sang with all my heart. Emotional night captured. Friendship forever’. I knew instantly this was the only image to use. I cannot emphasise the outpouring of Liberty love & fondness for both Imelda and her family that has not only been expressed to me but also in turn extended to me by association. I am really going to miss working on this much loved piece.” 📸 on Meath St also by @ailecphoto @dublincanvas #ImeldaMay #TheLiberties #TheLibertiesFestival #TheLibertiesDublin #DublinCanvas #DublinCanvasProject #DublinCityCouncil #ThisIsDublin #DublinEvents #Dublin8 #Dublin #Ireland
I’m so honoured to be recognised by Dublin Canvas in celebrating the living…! Thank you so much! Steve O’Toole (@urnique.steve ) the artist who started this initiative explains… “Ireland is very good at commemorating & remembering our dead but we do little to celebrate our living. There are blue plaques all over Dublin to remember and mark how ‘Oscar was born here, Behan drank there, Joyce etc. and only in death Sinead, Shane and many many more are justly & rightly celebrated but whom in life were never given the accreditation they so rightly deserved. And so my Dublin Canvas submissions began last summer with ‘Pat Ingoldsby’s … Welcome To His Head … Complete with ‘Not Dead Yet’ Blue Plaque. Continuing this year with ’Imelda May … Mother of all the liberties… With accompanying ‘Liberties Belle’ Blue Plaque. * Mother of all the Liberties – A nod to the hierarchy & history of the women of the Liberties, and to Imelda’s current role in MOATB. * Liberties Belle – Reflecting on both ‘The proudly born Liberties Imelda’ and to Imelda’s own wonderful piece ‘Liberty Belle’. On seeing Imelda’s reposting of Celia’s ‘Highly Commended’ in the Arts & Entertainment category at the British Press Photographer of The Year Awards, and Imelda’s accompanying copy … ‘This photo of me from Cambridge Folk Festival last summer. Sinéad had just gone. I painted my top impulsively Put on my mother’s chain, my Jeff Beck pendant. Walked onstage with my band and sang with all my heart. Emotional night captured. Friendship forever’. I knew instantly this was the only image to use. I cannot emphasise the outpouring of Liberty love & fondness for both Imelda and her family that has not only been expressed to me but also in turn extended to me by association. I am really going to miss working on this much loved piece.” 📸 on Meath St also by @ailecphoto @dublincanvas #ImeldaMay #TheLiberties #TheLibertiesFestival #TheLibertiesDublin #DublinCanvas #DublinCanvasProject #DublinCityCouncil #ThisIsDublin #DublinEvents #Dublin8 #Dublin #Ireland
I’m so honoured to be recognised by Dublin Canvas in celebrating the living…! Thank you so much! Steve O’Toole (@urnique.steve ) the artist who started this initiative explains… “Ireland is very good at commemorating & remembering our dead but we do little to celebrate our living. There are blue plaques all over Dublin to remember and mark how ‘Oscar was born here, Behan drank there, Joyce etc. and only in death Sinead, Shane and many many more are justly & rightly celebrated but whom in life were never given the accreditation they so rightly deserved. And so my Dublin Canvas submissions began last summer with ‘Pat Ingoldsby’s … Welcome To His Head … Complete with ‘Not Dead Yet’ Blue Plaque. Continuing this year with ’Imelda May … Mother of all the liberties… With accompanying ‘Liberties Belle’ Blue Plaque. * Mother of all the Liberties – A nod to the hierarchy & history of the women of the Liberties, and to Imelda’s current role in MOATB. * Liberties Belle – Reflecting on both ‘The proudly born Liberties Imelda’ and to Imelda’s own wonderful piece ‘Liberty Belle’. On seeing Imelda’s reposting of Celia’s ‘Highly Commended’ in the Arts & Entertainment category at the British Press Photographer of The Year Awards, and Imelda’s accompanying copy … ‘This photo of me from Cambridge Folk Festival last summer. Sinéad had just gone. I painted my top impulsively Put on my mother’s chain, my Jeff Beck pendant. Walked onstage with my band and sang with all my heart. Emotional night captured. Friendship forever’. I knew instantly this was the only image to use. I cannot emphasise the outpouring of Liberty love & fondness for both Imelda and her family that has not only been expressed to me but also in turn extended to me by association. I am really going to miss working on this much loved piece.” 📸 on Meath St also by @ailecphoto @dublincanvas #ImeldaMay #TheLiberties #TheLibertiesFestival #TheLibertiesDublin #DublinCanvas #DublinCanvasProject #DublinCityCouncil #ThisIsDublin #DublinEvents #Dublin8 #Dublin #Ireland
Full moon tonight… #beavermoon (yup 😉
I’m over the moon to get to reprise my role of Brendan Behans extraordinary mother Kathleen in Peter Sheridans incredible one woman play Mother Of All the Behans. I hold Kathleen’s story very close to my heart as I do all the women’s stories that have shaped the world but are too often unspoken about. I’m very aware of the chance Peter has taken and has given me in casting me as Kathleen and I am indebted to him for trusting me to put the work in and do a good job of it. I’m a storyteller for sure but a one person play is no easy feat for even a well trained actor but months of dedication and hard work paid off and thanks to you all, filling the Theatre night after night and spreading the word when you went home, we’ve been asked to do it again!! I couldn’t be more humbled or more grateful to you all. See you again in August! @3olympiatheatre
Irony. Wrote this a few years ago..
A couple of my sketches are up for auction. 1st one is called ‘The Folly Folk’ 2nd other ‘Dancing with Etta’ 150artists including myself, @deemulrooney, @wallisbirdofficial, @guggi_artist, @hozier @finbarfureyofficial have been asked by artist @johnodonnell_artist to donate artwork for auction with @adams.auctioneers and @gormleysauct#ions to raise much needed funds for @dublinsimoncommunity Auction closes Dec 4th. Happy bidding..
A couple of my sketches are up for auction. 1st one is called ‘The Folly Folk’ 2nd other ‘Dancing with Etta’ 150artists including myself, @deemulrooney, @wallisbirdofficial, @guggi_artist, @hozier @finbarfureyofficial have been asked by artist @johnodonnell_artist to donate artwork for auction with @adams.auctioneers and @gormleysauct#ions to raise much needed funds for @dublinsimoncommunity Auction closes Dec 4th. Happy bidding..
Break a Leg!!! There’s a talented bunch of young musicians making their Electric Picnic debut at Saturday 2pm on Three Music Stage. Go see them! It’ll be such a special moment. It has been an absolute pleasure to be a part of this initiative with @threeireland over the last few weeks and help prepare each of them to perform on a big festival stage. @avamckechnie @iranbrindai @daveloftsofficial @jamiemcintyre_music @tadhg_music are all uniquely talented musicians with a bright future ahead. I am glad we got to meet each other in this lovely way.. Initiatives like Three’s City Stages platform is so important in supporting upcoming Irish musicians in their careers. I know the @epfestival are the best crowd to perform to as you’ll give them the best welcome ever! #ThreeAtEP #EP24
