Chai Brady
Shane MacGowan Shane MacGowan had an “inner Faith that spoke to him” according to a member of The Priests, who recorded Little Drummer Boy with the renowned musician.
Tributes have poured in for the former frontman of The Pogues who has often spoken about the importance of prayer in his life. The influence of his Catholic upbringing is often reflected in his songwriting and art.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic, one of the members of The Priests, Fr Martin O’Hagan said that when he met Mr MacGowan in 2010 for the recording in Dublin: “It was a wonderful experience I have to say. He spoke about his own life, particularly mentioning his own mother who had a profound influence on him growing up and probably enabled him to have the skills in regard to the Faith.
“I think through all his life he was a man who had an inner Faith that spoke to him and that would have impressed me about him. Prayerfulness was very much part of his identity, deep seated because of his early childhood, I suppose it was something that gave him life and gave him hope,” he said.
In a 2017 interview on RTÉ’s Sunday with Miriam, Mr MacGowan said his mother was a woman of very strong Faith, and that he believes in miracles. He said: “I’ve seen miracles and miracles have happened in my life.
“I was brought up an Irish Catholic and I pray, I don’t go to Mass every Sunday, I do get Communion when I go to Mass but I don’t go to Confession because I don’t think I do anything bad enough to go to Confession,” he said.
However he described Confession as an “amazingly comforting thing”.