About this time of year, One of the greatest Christmas songs ever written is played. “Fairytale of New York” is sang in thousands of bars and parties around the world. Its a beautiful song. Shane McGowan, of The Pogues, wrote the song with one womans voice in mind, Kirsty MacCall.
Aswell as this song, kirsty had a brilliant solo career, and an absolutely brilliant, passionate voice.
On tuesday, on holiday with her family in Mexico, Kirsty was killed by a speedboat hitting her while she was swimming with her family, in a swimmers only section.
One persons ineptitude has robbed us of one of Irelands greatest female vocalists.
That’s very sad. That song is one of the saddest, sweetest tunes I’ve ever heard. It’s very, very difficult for me to hear it without getting all misty. In fact, even now, as I type this at work, thinking of the song makes me melancholy. To think of those poor drunks in the song singing “Galway Bay” with the cops just 'cuz it’s Christmas Day…
“I could have been someone…” - S. McGowan
“Well so could anyone! You took my dreams from me when I first found you.” - K. McColl
“I kept them with me babe; I kept them in my heart.” - SM
She was of Irish heritage - her father was the Irish folk songwriter Ewan MacColl. She relocated to England like many Irish musicians do (Shane MacGowan, Elvis Costello, etc.).
For that matter, Declan MacManus is of Irish extraction but was born and raised in Liverpool, and Shane MacGowan was born in Kent, moved to his family’s native Ireland shortly after, and moved back to England for good at age six.
I bow to no one in my love for either Kirsty MacColl or Irish music, but we don’t have to make them into the same thing.
Her father was born and brough up in Lancashire and his family were from Stirlingshire in Scotland. Many of his songs reflect his Northern English heritage, including Dirty Old Town (originally Durham, IIRC) and Manchester Rambler. His real name was Jimmy Miller.
See above.
Shane MacGowan came over to England with his family as a child, at the age of about 10, IIRC.
Elvis Costello (Declan Min London and brought up in London and Liverpool (he speaks with quite a clear Merseyside accent).
I’m sorry to get snippy about this but this is about the hundredth time in the last 24 hours that some ignorant American has referred to her “Irish heritage”. Irish heritage, my arse. She was English, and of Scotish descent.
It must be the fact that she recorded that Billy O’Bragg song, A New Ireland that is causing the confusion.
I was listening to “The edge of Christmas” and Fairy tale of New York is on it. This reminded me of another Kirsty MacColl/Shawn MacGowan song “Miss Otis regrets” on Red, Hot +Blue, a tribute to Cole Porter. I was listening to Miss Otis when I saw this thread.
I think it’s a little spooky, there is definately a little synchronicity afoot.
