Fairytale of New York undergoing rewrites and aborted attempts at recording, and losing its original female vocalist along the way, before finally being completed in August 1987. Although the single never reached the coveted UK Christmas number one, being kept at number two on its original release in 1987 by the Pet Shop Boys' cover version of "Always on My Mind", it has proved enduringly popular with both music critics and the public: to date the song has reached the UK Top 20 on fifteen separate occasions since its original release in 1987, including every year since 2005, and was certified double platinum in
Shane MacGowan and The Popes Denis Dowling. Violinist Dave Allen and guitarist Ian Bramble have released a Christmas song and an album with John Coghlan. The Popes drummer Will Morrison used to play in Here Be Dragons, with bassist Greg Courtney. In November 2013, Paul McGuinness suffered a serious head injury that left him hospitalized for months. As of 8 June 2014, he was still residing in the brain injury rehabilitation unit at Homerton Hospital. Shane MacGowan and The Popes The Popes are a band originally formed by Shane MacGowan (of the Pogues) and Paul "Mad Dog" McGuinness, who play a blend of rock, Irish