Shane and the Popes made two albums, the first "The Snake" (1994)is excellent, as good as the early Pogues, the second "Crock of Gold" is pretty awful c&w flavoured stuff but with a couple of real gems also in there, like "Saint John of Gods" (an alcohol drying out place in Ireland, I think). Shane has serious psychological problems which causes him to drink ridiculous amounts and do all sorts of heavy drugs as well. However he makes heroic efforts to make it to gigs tho I've had tickets for three that he never showed for. To dismiss him as a drunk is too easy, he hasn't been sober since he was 14 (born 1957), we should just be damned glad our own problems aren't quite that serious.

Long live Shane, Up the Republic (as Shane always signs off). (Dario from Osijek, Croatia, are you out there?)