Crowds gather in Dublin to watch funeral procession of Pogues front-man Shane MacGowan

Mourners are gathering in Dublin for a public procession ahead of the funeral of Shane MacGowan.The songwriter, who found fame as the lead singer of London-Irish punk/folk band The Pogues, died at the age of 65 last week.The procession is travelling by horse-drawn carriage from South Lotts Road in Dublin’s southside, down Pearse Street and onto Westland Row.Among those who turned out to pay their respects is Aidan Grimes, 60, who described MacGowan as an icon.He said: “I remember the first time I saw The Pogues in the Hammersmith Odeon in 1985. It is imprinted in my mind forever, just the madness and mayhem, the raucous nature of his singing and the music they were playing.“Through the years he evolved into a great poet and he will be sadly missed.“I met him in Dublin about 15 years ago and he was a very charming, nice, friendly man. He talked about music and his time in London.