‘Fairytale of New York’ is tipped to top the charts this Christmas following the passing of Shane MacGowan

The singer-songwriter died peacefully at his Dublin home in the early hours of yesterday morning (November 30th) following a long hospital stay where he was being treated for an infection he contracted back in June.

The 65-year-old's family welcomed him home from the hospital just last week ahead of the Christmas holidays and what would have been Shane's 66th birthday on December 25th.

Since his passing, tributes have been pouring in from all over the world for the beloved musician.

There are also calls for the iconic Christmas song, 'Fairytale of New York', to reach the number one spot this year as a way to honour The Pogues' frontman.

According to RTÉ Entertainment, British bookmakers Coral, believe that this will be the case.

Coral’s John Hill said: "Punters think there is going to be a wave of support behind The Pogues landing the Christmas number one single this year following the sad passing of Shane MacGowan."

“We make Fairytale Of New York odds-on to top the official singles charts on Christmas Day, 36 years after it was released,” he added.

The odds made by the bet makers for the song reaching number one this Christmas are 1-4 from 5-4.

Meanwhile, Martin Talbot, Cheif Executive of the Official Charts Company The Daily Telegraph says that he too foresees the song climbing the charts.

"While it is too early to give an indication of the scale of the streaming surge, we would very much expect it to rise back into the Top 20 over the coming days, perhaps even higher."

"It has become a genuine contender for this year’s Christmas number one. What a fitting tribute to Shane that would be."

The Christmas number one for 2023 will be revealed on the last Friday before Christmas (December 22nd).

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