Fairytale of New York Christmas number one by the Pet Shop Boys' cover of "Always on My Mind". MacGowan was reported to have said "We were beaten by two queens and a drum machine". MacColl later said that she did not feel they were really in competition with the Pet Shop Boys as they were doing a completely different kind of music. The song was re-released by the Pogues in the UK in 1991 (reaching #36), and again in the UK and Ireland for Christmas 2005, reaching number three in the UK. All proceeds from the latter release were donated towards a mixture of
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