16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
How Crystal Palace have taken over from their London rivals to become the city's ‘Irish' club
The emotional sight this week of a grainy video of Bob Dylan singing Rainy Night In Soho at a gig gave weight to the belief that it took an Irishman, Shane MacGowan, to write the songs that say more about the capital of England than any pure-bred Londoner could manage.
A Kent-born, Tipperary-raised son of Irish immigrants coming up with the words that have eluded pure-bred Cockneys. Dark Streets of London, London You're a Lady, London Girl and (one of his his finest works) Lullaby Of London, all titles that sang of his mixed feelings for the city, with other references to Hammersmith Broadway, White City, The 'Dilly, Leicester Square and Vine Street.
