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The New York fairy tale is one of the most recognized songs in Ireland and is a frequent subject of controversy around Christmas.
But what many people don’t know is the tragic story of one of the two singers of the iconic melody.
The popular song, written by The Pogues and featuring Kristy MacColl, presents a harrowing depiction of broken dreams and relationship problems.
It has also frequently become a subject of intense debate, with a homophobic slur in the tune dividing those who believe we shouldn’t sing the word and those who say it is not essentially homophobic.
Either way, what most of us don’t know is the story of Kristy MacColl on the track, reports the Irish Mirror.
While many of us are familiar with the drunken antics and the life story of Shane MacGowan, the troubled frontman of The Pogues.
But there are few who know the life, and the tragic death, of the British singer MacColl.
The folk singer passed away under dire circumstances while on vacation in 2000.
After hosting a BBC radio show in Cuba, Kirsty took a vacation with her children and her boyfriend in Cozumel, Mexico.
On the night of December 18, 2000, just a week before Christmas, she and her family were diving off a reef that did not allow boats to enter.
Tragically, a motorboat, owned by the millionaire owner of a Mexican supermarket chain, sped into the area just as the party swooped off, heading at high speed in the direction of Kirsty and her children.
The Croydon native managed to push her 15-year-old son, Jamie, out of the way of the boat in time to save her life, but the boat ran over her and killed her instantly.
The boat driver, named Cen Yam, was an employee of Guillermo González Nova, president of the Comercial Mexicana supermarket chain.
Eyewitnesses said that Mr. Yam was not in control of the boat at the time of the incident and that he was convicted of wrongful death.
For Kirsty’s family, the fight for royal justice dragged on for years, with the launch of a Justice for Kirsty public campaign.
It was a horrendous incident that tragically cut short the life of a talented artist.
And Kirsty is worth remembering the next time she’s singing the lyrics to Fairytale of New York.
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