Mother of Pogues’ Shane MacGowan killed in car crash

Therese MacGowan (87), the mother of The Pogues’ front man Shane MacGowan, was killed when the car she was driving hit a wall in the village of Ballintogher, in County Tipperary, on New Year’s Day.

The police reported that MacGowan was the sole occupant of the car. She was pronounced dead at the scene, hear her home in Silvermines, at about 3pm. A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána, Ireland’s national police force, said the crash was being treated as an accident.

They said “It would appear to be a single car collision with a wall.”

Her body has been taken to Limerick University hospital, where a postmortem will be carried out on Monday.

The Irish Independent report that “one theory being investigated is that Shane's mother suffered a heart attack.”

Local Labour Party politician Alan Kelly said "Along with her husband, they are held in high regard with great affection," he said.

"She will be sorely missed by all the people in Silvermines and surrounds.

"She was someone who was greatly respected and liked by all who knew her.”

Therese had two children, Shane and Siobhán, with her husband Maurice. The couple met in Dublin and moved to England, and Shane was born in on Christmas Day, in Kent, in 1957. Although much of MacGowan’s early years were spent in the United Kingdom the family made sure to keep Irish traditions alive and visit home often.

RIP to Shane MacGowan's mum who was killed in a County Tipperary, Ireland car accident. https://t.co/JFy0zl6mEM pic.twitter.com/FhHo4oIrln
— Classic Alternative (@altclassic) January 2, 2017

In an interview included in the book “Shane MacGowan: London Irish Punk Life and Music”, Therese spoke of Shane’s musical upbringing in family home.

"Every weekend, sometimes even in the middle of the week, we'd have music...dancing on the old kitchen floor.

"And so Shane absorbed all that wonderful traditional culture at a formative age," she said.

They later returned home to Tipperary, where Shane spent much of his childhood.

MacGowan credits Therese for inspiring him to get involved in music - she was an award-winning folk singer when she was younger.

In 2001 Shane MacGowan spoke about his mother and how much she influenced him as part of the documentary “If I Should Fall From Grace”. He said “I came from a musical family, and we always sang and most people played an instrument…My mother won loads of medals and cups for singing, dancing and singing in Irish as well.”

Shane (59) was the lead singer of Irish punk band The Pogues, made famous for their international hit “The Fairytale of New York”. It has been reported that MacGowan has recently suffered from poor health. In 2016 he was rushed to hospital having broken his pelvis during a live performance. He was spotted in Dublin in December 2016 attending a homelessness charity event, in aid of Focus Ireland.