Victoria Mary Clarke, Shane MacGowan‘s widow, has shared that she is searching for her late husband’s missing Easter Rising rifle which “meant so much to him”.
Clarke announced on social media that the late Pogues frontman’s rifle from the 1916 Easter Rising has gone missing and is suspected to have been stolen. The firearm, which was used during the Irish rebellion against the British government, was a Lee–Enfield 303.
It was a 60th birthday gift to MacGowan from singer-songwriter Glen Hansard and was used in the takeover of the General Post Office (GPO) in Dublin during the Easter Rising.
Taking to her official X/Twitter account, Clarke tweeted: “Shane’s 1916 rifle has gone missing, most likely been stolen. Shane absolutely adored anything to do with history, so to see him so emotional after receiving that, it was a really special occasion.”
Shane’s 1916 rifle has gone missing, most likely been stolen. It was a birthday gift to @ShaneMacGowan from a dear musician friend and it was used in the GPO so it was historically significant. It was a Lienfield 303 and it has H Munn etched on it pic.twitter.com/iWJQiTji0L
— @victoriamary (@Victoriamary) May 1, 2024
If anyone happens to see a rifle from 1916 with H Munn etched on the handle it belonged to @ShaneMacGowan and it was a gift from @glenhansard and it would be great to get it back! Thank you everyone for sharing
pic.twitter.com/nuI7lAyFI2
— @victoriamary (@Victoriamary) May 1, 2024
Speaking to The Guardian, Clarke said that she would like the rifle returned ASAP – no questions asked. She realised that it was missing earlier this week and does not know how long it’s been missing. “I looked everywhere, turned the place upside down and couldn’t find it. So it has actually gone,” she told the publication.
“The thing about Shane is that he wasn’t materialistic. The only things he ever bought really were records. He didn’t have many possessions. He had his crucifix and rosary beads and statues of the Virgin Mary, other than that he didn’t have possessions that were precious to him,” she told The Guardian. “But the gun meant so much to him. I wasn’t entirely easy about having it in the house, but I definitely want it back. It’s probably the grief, where any physical thing that has an attachment to your loved one you hold on to – because you want to hold on to them.”
As per Hot Press, the rifle’s disappearance triggered a widespread search, with Clarke sharing: “It has turned into a real treasure hunt. We are all trying to track it down because it would be such a shame if it were somehow lost.”
The former Pogues frontman died from pneumonia in hospital, aged 65, on November 30. It came after he had been diagnosed with encephalitis and had been in ill health.
In other news, Ricky Wilson previously recounted the time that MacGowan once asked for an apple from Kaiser Chiefs‘ rider, which he later used to smoke crack.
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