Shane MacGowan funeral: mourners line the streets of Dublin as Johnny Depp and Bono involved in mass for The Pogues singer

Mourners have waved goodbye to The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan during his funeral service in Dublin today (December 8).

MacGowan died last week at the age of 65. His cause of death was confirmed as pneumonia.

A procession before the funeral service took place throughout Dublin's southside, with mourners lining the streets to pay their respects. Flowers were thrown onto the carriage carrying his coffin, while crowds gathered broke into song to pay tribute to the singer-songwriter.

The cortege travelled down South Lotts Road before arriving at the church in Nenagh, Co Tipperary. His widow, Victoria Mary Clark travelled in a car behind the carriage on the cortege route.

Stars including Johnny Depp were among the friends of MacGowan invited to take part in the ceremony. A recording of U2 singer Bono delivering a ready was also played throughout the service. Imelda May and Nick Cave were also in attendance.

Depp delivered a reading of the prayers of the faithful, alongside Hothouse Flowers frontman Liam O’Maonlai during the funeral mass. Game of Throne actor Aiden Gillan also delivered a reading during the service

Father Pat Gilbert, who led the funeral mass at Saint Mary of the Rosary Church, said: “I grew up listening to the music of Lizzy, the Horslips, the Rats, the Undertones and The Pogues. As teenagers the music and the lyrics alerted us to what was happening around us. There was also the pride of being Irish, what they could say, sing and share was right and reasoned as far as we were concerned. In fact, Shane and the Pogues made it international and cool to play the tin whistle, banjo or accordion.”

He added: “As teenagers, not being able to verbalise our uneasiness, displeasure, our uncomfortable assessment of what was happening all around us, we found an outlet, a channel, a conduit in the music and lyric of the day. In the words of Dickens, ‘It was the best of times and the worst of times’. But the music and the lyric were tremendous, and Shane was the master of them all.

“As Brendan Behan did in prose, Shane MacGowan did in poetry. The raw vibrant energetic earthy soul-filled expression gave us hope and heart and hankering.”

Fr Gillbert also remarked upon the significance of MacGowan's funeral taking place on the birthday of the late singer Sinead O'Connor, saying that "something seems right about all of this". MacGowan and O'Connor, who passed away earlier this year, experienced an enduring friendship and even worked together on the 1995 re-recording of The Pogues song 'Haunted'.