#OTD in 1957 – Birth of musician and singer, Shane MacGowan.

25/12/2022.Reading time 1 minute.

Shane MacGowan was born in Pembury, Kent, to Irish parents. MacGowan spent his early childhood in Tipperary before his family moved back to England when he was six and a half. He lived in many parts of the south-east, including Brighton and London. Drawn to the punk music scene, he formed the folk-punk band the […]

#OTD in 2000 – A boating accident in Mexico claims the life of singer Kirsty MacColl.

18/12/2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

‘The full details of Kirsty’s injuries are too awful for me to describe. Apparently the paramedic threw up on arriving at the scene. But two boys have to live with those last memories of their mother for the rest of their lives.’ –Jean MacColl Kirsty MacColl, well-known female recording artist, was scuba diving in Mexico […]

#OTD in Irish History | 18 December:

18/12/2022.Reading time 13 minutes.

In the Liturgical Calendar, today is the Feast day of St. Flannan. St. Flannan was an Irish saint who lived in the 7th century and was the son of a king of Thomond, an Irish Chieftain. He entered Molua’s monastery at Killaloe and became abbot there. He is remembered as a great preacher. He made […]

#OTD in 1987 – ‘Fairytale of New York’ by the Pogues and Kirsty McColl reaches no. 2 in the UK charts.

16/12/2022.Reading time 2 minutes.

Recorded in the summer of 1987 and released later that year, The Pogues‘ ‘Fairytale of New York’ famously never made it to number one in the UK first time around, held off the top spot by Pet Shop Boys’ version of ‘Always On My Mind.’ The song, which took over two years to write and features […]