Celebrating Shane MacGowan
Charles Preen
Every funeral will have a solemn or moving moment. Some will be overtaken by grief and mourning, but increasingly funerals are undergoing a change. A prime example is that of Pogues’ frontman Shane MacGowan.
No one does death like the Irish, so they say, and Shane’s passing was marked by something resembling a gig more than a traditional funeral mass. It featured a roaring version of Shane’s Fairytale of New York sung by Irish singers Glen Hansard and Lisa O'Neill. Not everyone was happy. The Catholic Herald asked the question: Was Irish bard Shane McGowan let down by his own funeral Mass and by his Church?
The problem for traditional Catholics may be that his funeral resembled a wake rather than a funeral service. Wakes usually takes place after a funeral in a bar, pub, or other public space. Particularly in Ireland, fiddles and drums will appear and the singing will start, just not usually at the church.
For those with little religious affiliation this will seem a moot point, but people now often look at funerals as celebrations of life rather than harrowing ceremonies to be endured.
If someone has lived to a good age, had a good life, and departed with family around them, then a celebration of a life well-lived may be more appropriate. Of course, those close to the deceased will be sad but they may well want to provide a final service that evokes joy and gratitude rather than sorrow.
Everybody should be encouraged to create a service that suits the departed and those who are left behind. There may be wrong ways to run a funeral but there is certainly no right or agreed way to do so. Let joy be unconfined or not if that’s inappropriate. Remember, it’s up to you.