Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan was a British-born Irish singer-songwriter, musician and poet best known as the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of Celtic punk band the Pogues. He also produced solo material and collaborated with artists including Joe Strummer, Nick Cave, Sinéad O'Connor, and Cruachan. Known for his exceptional songwriting ability and his heavy alcohol and drug use, MacGowan was described by The New York Times as "a titanically destructive personality and a master songsmith whose lyrics painted vivid portraits of the underbelly of Irish immigrant life".
Born in Kent, England, to Irish parents, MacGowan spent his early childhood in Tipperary, Ireland. He moved back to England with his family at age six and a half. MacGowan was noted for his precocious interest in literature; by age 11, he was reading authors including Fyodor Dostoevsky and James Joyce, and at 13 he was among the winners of a literary contest sponsored by the Daily Mirror. He attended Holmewood House preparatory school and won a scholarship to Westminster School, but was expelled from the latter for drug offences.