Tipperary GAA club Shannon Rovers has launched a commemorative jersey in honor of late Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan to celebrate his deep ties to the local area.
The new GAA jersey features an image of MacGowan and lyrics from the Pogues song "Broad Majestic Shannon," which heavily references the local area surrounding the GAA club.
Shannon Rovers GAA received approval from MacGowan's sister Siobhan, who gave permission to use the lyrics from the "Broad Majestic Shannon," while MacGowan's widow Victoria Mary Clarke has also given her blessing, according to a Shannon Rovers spokesperson.
The "Broad Majestic Shannon" lyrics featured on the commemorative GAA jersey are:
I sat for a while by the gap in the wall
Found a rusty tin can and an old hurley ball
Heard the cards being dealt and the rosary called
And a fiddle playing "Sean Dun Na Ngall"
And the next time I see you we'll be down at the Greeks
There'll be whiskey on Sunday and tears on our cheeks
For it's stupid to laugh and it's useless to bawl
'Bout a rusty tin can and an old hurley ball
A spokesperson for the GAA club told IrishCentral that the club first had the idea to launch a commemorative jersey after a Shannon Rovers jersey was presented as a gift during MacGowan's funeral on December 8.
"With that, we decided we’d do a commemorative jersey, but it was important that the family were happy for us to do so," the club's spokesperson told IrishCentral.
"We approached Shane’s sister Siobhan and she thought it was an excellent idea and was especially happy to see the lyrics to 'The Broad Majestic Shannon' featured on the jersey for which she gave us permission to use. This song in particular resonates with our local area where Shane spent much of his time."
In his book "A Drink with Shane MacGowan," the Pogues frontman states that his great-grandfather John Lynch was a co-founder of the Shannon Rovers GAA club. Lynch also served as the club's first president in 1898.
According to the Shannon Rovers website, "Shane loved hearing stories of John Lynch and his affiliation with Shannon Rovers GAA and was very proud of his connections."
The commemorative jersey is available in red, white, and black and is available to pre-order on the Shannon Rovers website until January 14. You can learn more about the Shane MacGowan comemorative GAA jersey here.
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