Shane MacGowan widow shares message after priest criticism of star-studded funeral

Victoria Mary Clarke, the widow of Shane MacGowan, responded to criticism of the star's funeral by sharing a heartfelt post praising the "magical" event.

Earlier this week, Father Paddy McCafferty from Belfast criticized Shane's star-studded funeral, where a live band played his 1988 hit Fairytale Of New York while mourners danced in the Saint Mary Of The Rosary Church in Nenagh, Co Tipperary.

In response to Father McCafferty's comments branding the festivities 'a scandal', Victoria posted a heartwarming photo showing her gazing into Shane's eyes as they held each other lovingly, accompanied by a touching caption.

She expressed gratitude to Shane's 'generous' friends, family, and fans for their support following the star's death from pneumonia on November 30 at the age of 65.

She captioned the picture: 'I just wanted to say thank you for so many beautiful messages of support, I know that each and every one of you has plenty of problems and challenges of your own to be thinking about...

'You are all so generous and kind and thoughtful and compassionate and I am deeply grateful to you. Please take a moment to appreciate yourselves!!! Sharing love in this world is the most beautiful thing you can do and the most valuable...

'I love that so many of you are celebrating his music and his life and his warmth and compassion and grace and beauty and it is a powerful thing to witness.....’

The widow shared her heartfelt message after a priest blasted the star-studded funeral as a 'scandal', saying the inclusion of The Pogues' 1988 festive classic Fairytale of New York was 'totally out of place'.