There have been charity singalongs, Simon Cowell’s manufactured pop prodigies and Zig and Zag calling each other twats. Irish Christmas Number 1s have been an eclectic mix over the years.
Is there such a thing as the definitive Irish Christmas tune? Maybe, and there are a few that continue to dominate the annual festive soundtrack chief among them, the Pogues’ Fairytale of New York which, given the death of Shane MacGowan, will almost certainly take on an added poignancy this year.
The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan’s wake was hosted at a tiny Irish pub last week where he was said to have made sure that €10k was put behind the bar to pay for everyone’s beer.