Shane MacGowan, Dead at 65

Shane MacGowan fronted The Pogues from 1982 until their break-up in 2014. I play The Pogues often, everything from Dirty Old Town to The Irish Rover and The Body of an American, a song I fell in love with because they'd play it during wakes at Kavanagh's Irish Pub in The Wire.

But at this time of year, I'm thinking of my favourite Christmas song of all-time. Fairytale of New York, a song written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan and featuring singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl on vocals, is the rare Christmas song I can enjoy 12 months a year.