MacGowan and the IRA

**Sun Apr 08, 2007 1:33 pm**

Is MacGowan an IRA supporter? In fairly recent live versions of 'Medley' he can be heard to sing 'Up the IRA'.

**Sun Apr 08, 2007 5:00 pm**

I have seen him wearing a Celtic scarf, so I guess he is a Celtic Supporter.

**Mon Apr 09, 2007 2:32 pm**

so does he support the ira :?:

**Mon Apr 09, 2007 2:40 pm**

Hrvat wrote:so does he support the ira

Why not give him the funny handshake and find out?

Sheesh! Guests! Whaddya gonna do? :roll:

**Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:06 pm**

LOL

The coppers in the North they couldn't catch him
The British army they just couldn't touch him
When he got out of jail he shouted up the IRA
And the guests called him Paddy Public Enemy No 1

and the crowd shouts: SHANEO, SHANEO, SHANEO !!!
(lol, somehow it turned out thois is me 1000th post at Medusa, it couldn't be better!

)

**Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:14 pm**

IrishRover wrote:LOL

The coppers in the North they couldn't catch him
The British army they just couldn't touch him
When he got out of jail he shouted up the IRA
And the guests called him Paddy Public Enemy No 1

and the crowd shouts: SHANEO, SHANEO, SHANEO !!!
(lol, somehow it turned out thois is me 1000th post at Medusa, it couldn't be better! )

Happy anniversary Oirish!

**Mon Apr 09, 2007 4:13 pm**

Anonymous wrote:Is MacGowan an IRA supporter? In fairly recent live versions of 'Medley' he can be heard to sing 'Up the IRA'.

I'd guess not, but I don't really know, and anything he said in live performances must be assumed to be influenced by one chemical or another.

**Mon Apr 09, 2007 4:13 pm**

IrishRover wrote:LOL

The coppers in the North they couldn't catch him
The British army they just couldn't touch him
When he got out of jail he shouted up the IRA
And the guests called him Paddy Public Enemy No 1

This is what I was gonna post.

Don't get 'IRA supporter' confused with 'republican' though. There are plenty republicans who don't support the IRA (be they pacifists or hard-liners).

I've always had the impression that Shane had pretty strong Republican sensibilities, and that he didn't get to voice these with The Pogues (this isn't a complaint btw!) so he did this with The Popes e.g Paddy Public Enemy, Skipping Rhymes.

**Mon Apr 09, 2007 4:39 pm**

IrishRover wrote:LOL

The coppers in the North they couldn't catch him
The British army they just couldn't touch him
When he got out of jail he shouted up the IRA
And the guests called him Paddy Public Enemy No 1

and the crowd shouts: SHANEO, SHANEO, SHANEO !!!
(lol, somehow it turned out thois is me 1000th post at Medusa, it couldn't be better! )

How about a 1000th post resolution! hey, i have an oidea!!

**Mon Apr 09, 2007 5:53 pm**

Mick Molloy wrote:
Happy anniversary Oirish!

Ahoy, hundred thousand thanks Mick! Slainte

DownInTheGround wrote:
How about a 1000th post resolution! hey, i have an oidea!!

Oi promoise to keep up the good work, in doirection and accordoing to purest OIrish sporits, essence & attitude.

**Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:37 am**

I believe Shane has aired his views of the subject, more than once.

**Tue Apr 10, 2007 6:48 pm**

Shane in A Drink with Shane MacGowan, when asked what being Irish means to him:

"The Pogues would never have existed if I wasn’t Irish. Ireland means everything to me. I always felt guilty because I didn’t lay down my life for Ireland, I didn’t join up. Not that I would have helped the situation, probably. But I felt ashamed that I didn’t have the guts to join the IRA. And the Pogues was my way of overcoming that guilt. And looking back on it, I think maybe I made the right choice.
(...)
I wouldn’t join the IRA now under any circumstances. I don’t agree with killing civilians. I don’t think I’d be any good in the IRA, is another reason. You find your task in life and you do that. I haven’t got the qualifications to be an IRA man, I have the qualifications to be an Irish musician. And I’ve still got a few kicks in the arses ready for the boring old farts of Irish music. They’re still there, the ones who couldn’t handle the Pogues."

**Tue Apr 10, 2007 9:27 pm**

I was going to post that passage but I couldn't find where it was in the book, and I didn't want to try and remember and get it wrong! Glad someone else found the right bit.

**Sat Apr 14, 2007 8:33 pm**

Yeah i was pretty surprised by him shouting up the ira - in the book i get the impression he couldn't care less anymore about the northern ireland situation. Or Catholiscism

Maybe he's doing it for the laugh/to engage with the crowd. Though I noticed as the years have gone by theres been much more rockers than celtic fans at the gigs

**Sun Apr 15, 2007 9:33 am**

"The Pogues would never have existed if I wasn’t Irish. Ireland means everything to me. I always felt guilty because I didn’t lay down my life for Ireland, I didn’t join up. Not that I would have helped the situation, probably. But I felt ashamed that I didn’t have the guts to join the IRA. And the Pogues was my way of overcoming that guilt. And looking back on it, I think maybe I made the right choice.

somebody shut him up! :lol:

hes sounds lioke the oirish roiver

MacGowan and the IRA

MacGowan and the IRA

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