Shane MacGowan tribute album 20th Century Paddy out Friday: Springsteen, U2, Tom Waits and a new Fairytale of New York

9th November 2026

Updated 9 Nov 2026, 10:36 · First published 9 Nov 2026

A tribute album to the late Pogues singer Shane MacGowan, featuring Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, U2 and Hozier with Jessie Buckley, is released on Friday 13 November.

20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan has 36 tracks. It was put together by MacGowan’s widow, Victoria Mary Clarke. It also includes a brand new version of Fairytale of New York, just in time for Christmas.

20th Century Paddy – key facts

Release dateFriday 13 November 2026

Tracks36 songs written by Shane MacGowan

Curated byVictoria Mary Clarke and John Kennedy

Deluxe edition3LP + 2CD bookpack with a 56-page book of memorabilia

Charity50% of artist royalties go to the Dublin Simon Community

Who is on the Shane MacGowan tribute album?

The album mixes rock legends, Irish folk stars and newer acts. Highlights include:

Artist	Song
Bruce Springsteen	A Rainy Night in Soho
Hozier & Jessie Buckley	Fairytale of New York
Tom Waits	Summer in Siam
U2	Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
Johnny Depp & Imelda May	Haunted
The Libertines	Sayonara
Primal Scream	A Pair of Brown Eyes
Glen Hansard	Bottle of Smoke
Dropkick Murphys	The Body of an American
Kate Moss	Lonesome Highway
The Jesus and Mary Chain	I’ll Be Your Handbag
David Gray	The Old Main Drag

Selected tracks from 20th Century Paddy

The full tracklist also includes Bob Geldof, Steve Earle, Damien Dempsey, Lisa O’Neill, Picture This, The Murder Capital, Kingfishr, The High Kings and The Pogues themselves.

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Is there a new Fairytale of New York?

Yes. Hozier and Jessie Buckley duet on the Christmas classic, which MacGowan originally sang with Kirsty MacColl in 1987. Every December it returns to the UK Top 20, so the new version will be one to watch in the race for Christmas.

Listen: Springsteen’s A Rainy Night in Soho

Springsteen’s version of A Rainy Night in Soho was the first song released from the album, in March. Nick Cave’s performance of the same song at MacGowan’s funeral in 2023 inspired the project.

Bruce Springsteen on Shane MacGowan

“I don’t know who’ll be listening to my music in 100 years but I know they’ll be listening to Shane’s.”

Bruce Springsteen

Who was Shane MacGowan?

MacGowan, who was born in Kent to Irish parents, fronted The Pogues from the early 1980s. He wrote some of the best-loved songs in Irish and British music, including A Pair of Brown Eyes, The Body of an American and Fairytale of New York. He died in November 2023, aged 65.