Fairytale of New York Fairytale of New York "Fairytale of New York" is a song written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan and recorded by their band the Pogues, featuring singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl on vocals. The song is an Irish folk-style ballad and was written as a duet, with the Pogues' singer MacGowan taking the role of the male character and MacColl the female character. It was originally released as a single on 23 November 1987 and later featured on the Pogues' 1988 album "If I Should Fall from Grace with God". Originally begun in 1985, the song had a troubled two-year development history,
Shane MacGowan and Irish culture. "Shaman Shane — The Wounded Healer" by Stephan Martin brands Shane as a latter-day London-Irish spirit-raiser and exorcist. This commentary is found in the book "Myth of Return — The Paintings of Brian Whelan and Collected Commentaries". London Irish artist Brian Whelan paints Shane (for example "Boy From The County Hell"), his works are featured on Shane's official website, and is also the illustrator of The Popes "Outlaw Heaven" cover. About his future with The Pogues, in a 24 December 2015 interview with "Vice" magazine, when the interviewer asked whether the band were still active, Shane MacGowan