Shane MacGowan: The Pogues singer's funeral to be held in Tipperary

The funeral of The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan will take place later on Friday in Nenagh, County Tipperary.

The Fairytale of New York singer died aged 65 on 30 November following a recent hospital stay after being diagnosed with encephalitis.

Irish President Michael D Higgins and stars of the music industry are among those expected to attend.

Before the funeral mass in Nenagh, there will be a procession through Dublin on Friday morning.

The procession will take place around the south inner city, near where MacGowan lived in Ballsbridge.

Later in the afternoon, the funeral will take place close to where the singer spent summers as a boy, at his mother's family cottage - these formative days had a huge influence in his love of Irish music and culture, and the eventual sound of The Pogues.

The funeral procession around the south inner city is expected to last about 45 minutes from 11:00 to 11:45 local time.

The procession will involve a horse-drawn carriage, led by the Artane Band and a piper.

It will begin at the junction of South Lotts Road and Ringsend Road and travel across McMahon Bridge and down Pearse Street to the junction of Lombard Street East and Westland Row.

It will end at the top of Westland Row near Sweeney's Pharmacy.

After this, the hearse and family cars will leave for Nenagh, where the funeral mass will take place in St Mary of the Rosary Church at 15:30.

The chief celebrant will be Fr Pat Gilbert, the co-parish priest.

After the funeral, another procession will take place through the County Tipperary town where the public will be given a final chance to pay their respects.

MacGowan will then be cremated in a private ceremony.

The funeral mass is open to the public and expected to be attended by a large number of people, including leading figures from the music industry and fans and the Irish president.

The singer had many close friends in the entertainment industry including Bono, Nick Cave and Johnny Depp.

MacGowan's wife Victoria Mary Clarke said on Instagram that he "meant the world to me".

She wrote: "I don't know how to say this so I am just going to say it. Shane... has gone to be with Jesus and Mary and his beautiful mother Therese."

Born in Kent, MacGowan was the son of Irish immigrants and fronted The Pogues from 1982 until their break-up in 2014.

In 1987, Kirsty MacColl collaborated with The Pogues for the Christmas song Fairytale of New York, written by MacGowan, which got to number two in the UK chart and remains one of the best-loved Christmas songs.

The 65-year-old singer-songwriter had been unwell for some time before his death.

He revealed he was diagnosed with encephalitis last year in a video posted to social media on New Year's Eve.

It is an uncommon but serious condition in which the brain becomes inflamed, according to the NHS website.

He had also used a wheelchair since 2015 after injuring himself in a fall, and had well-documented problems with drugs and alcohol.

A statement from MacGowan's spokesperson confirmed he died "peacefully" at 03:30 on 30 November "with his wife and sister by his side".