Drummer Mick Cronin to join The Pogues for Shane MacGowan's 60th birthday concert
Mullingar-based drummer Mick Cronin will be joining The Pogues for one of the biggest gigs of the New Year - Shane MacGowan's 60th birthday bash in the National Concert Hall.
He will be joining the likes of Nick Cave, Johnny Depp, Bobby Gillespie and Glen Hansard are all on the billfor the event which takes place on January 15.
Mick is one fourth of the band Cronin; Johnny, Fiachra Millner and Brian Murphy, who have all built up a strong friendship with Shane over the years, collaborating many times, and most recently appearing with him at The Electric Picnic.
From A Pair of Brown Eyes to Fairytale of New York, Shane MacGowan is a poet of modern music and one of the great international songwriters. This specially produced concert celebrates the power and poetry of his songs and his singular contribution to Irish music. It sees his collaborators, friends, and artists who admire his work and those who have been influenced by him come together to sing these great songs.
Led by Musical Director Terry Edwards and hosted by John Kelly, other names on the bill include Camille O'Sullivan, Cerys Matthews, Carl Barat of The Libertines, Lisa O'Neill, Finbar Furey, Glen Matlock of The Sex Pistols, Clem Burke of Blondie with Cáit O'Riordan, Spider Stacy, Jem Finer, Terry Woods of The Pogues and more artists on the evening.
Talking of the honour it will be to play alongside musical greats, Mick Cronin said lining out alongside The Pogues will be a very special occasion for him.
"It's the gig of a lifetime. I'll be playing with one of my heroes, Clem Burke and that will be really, really special.
"There's talk of more joining us on the night - Paul Simon, Bono, Van Morrison. You never know who could turn up.
"Shane - it's crazy that we got to be friends. He was one of my idols growing up and then we just became friends. I think he likes us because of the whole culchie thing but we spent time in England too, so we have very similar backgrounds to himself. It will be just amazing to play with Shane and The Pogues."
In the meantime you can catch Cronin live on Christmas Eve on Bobby Kerr's Late Breakfast Show where some very important guests are lined up including Santa Claus himself. Bobby will also be taking a tour of the newly refurbished Bewley's Café on Grafton Street. Tune in between 9am and 11am.