Fairytale of New York reissued on vinyl to raise money for the Simon Community

The Irish homeless charity is known to have been well loved and supported by Shane MacGowan and his wife Victoria Mary Clarke.

Shane MacGowan’s family and friends, alongside The Pogues are re-releasing the Christmas classic Fairytale of New York on a seven-inch vinyl in the wake of MacGowan’s death last month. The 7 inch vinyl will feature Fairytale of New York on the A-side and an instrumental version of the track on the B-side. The record can be pre-ordered online via The Warner Music Shop; with €6.90 from each sale to be donated to the Dublin Simon Community. The Dublin Simon Community supports people to exit homelessness, access and retain homes, and rebuild lives by delivering housing, health and wellbeing services.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Dublin Simon Community (@dublinsimoncommunity)

The charity's Head of Fundraising & Communications Emma Kilkenny said: "We would like to say a huge thank you to The Pogues and Shane McGowan's family for their generosity in creating such a special legacy for Dublin Simon Community with this release. “Music is an emotional and visceral gift that can lift spirits and bring hope to people at their lowest point. “We share the truly magical memory of Shane’s performance at the very special Christmas Busk recorded in St Patrick’s Cathedral during Covid lockdown. The Christmas Eve Busk is a beating heart at the core of Dublin Simon’s fundraising and Shane was always a very welcome and truly amazing addition to this special event.” The Christmas Busk in 2021 was MacGowan's last public performance, where he performed "Dirty Old Town." In a tribute to her late husband, Victoria Mary Clarke spoke of his relationship with those experiencing homelessness, writing: "He never walked past a homeless person without stopping for a chat and to give them a decent wad of cash and a cigarette if they wanted one. He never judged anyone with addictions because he understood where they were coming from".

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Victoria Mary Clarke Angels (@victoriamaryclarke)

Header image via Getty  READ NEXT: - Readers outraged as Condé Nast includes Irish location on list of top UK road-trips - The 10 top cafés for a hot chocolate around Ireland - Irish consumers have already purchased 1 million mince pies this festive season